Forbidden Thoughts
by frobz26
Summary: Stressed. That was the only word Rose needed to describe her seventh year. She was head girl, Nora was under investigation by the minsitry and she was most definitely falling for head boy, Scorpius Malfoy. Oh, joy. Sequel to Evolving Stakes
1. Unavoidable

Chapter 1 – Unavoidable

Disclaimer - Harry Potter is not mine, he belongs to J. K. Rowling.

A/N - If you have not read Evolving Stakes, the prequel to Forbidden Thoughts, I suggest you do. Otherwise, you may be a bit confused.

* * *

"Hugo, what the hell are you doing in the bathroom?" Rose shouted, banging on the bathroom door. "You've been in there for half an hour."

"It's hardly been 15 minutes," Hugo yelled back through the door. "And there's more than one bathroom in the bloody house!"

Rose ran a hand through her thick curly red hair in frustration. "I'm aware of that, but there are things in this particular bathroom that I need right now."

Rose heard the floor creak behind her and she turned to see Nora giving her a disgruntled look. "What's going on?" Nora yawned. "You two woke me up during a very pleasant dream."

Rose scowled at her friend. As usual Nora looked phenomenal, which wouldn't have been so annoying at that moment if it wasn't for the fact that Nora clearly had just woken up. Nora's version of bed head was something that looked like it had been styled by professionals and Rose's version was more of a cross between a bird's nest and a lion' s mane.

"I need my hair solution from the bathroom, but Hugh is doing Merlin knows what in there and he will not let me in," Rose complained and she banged on the door yet again.

"He probably just cut himself shaving again," Nora replied in a tired voice.

"Oi!" Hugo exclaimed. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone about that, Nora."

"Too bad," Nora shot back grumpily. "You woke me up and Rose desperately needs her hair solution because she looks like she was just attacked by wild animals."

"Hey," Rose said as Hugo opened the door to reveal a large cut on the side of his cheek. Rose instantly forgot about Nora's comment and began to laugh.

"Are you happy?" Hugo muttered darkly to Nora.

"Very," Nora replied patting Hugo on his uninjured cheek. "And what have I told you about the shaving thing. If there really isn't anything there, you don't need to shave." Hugo glowered at Nora and stomped past her down the hall and into his room. "Right then," Nora said brightly. "Before I go back to bed, why exactly are you up at 8' o clock in the morning on a Saturday."

"We get our Hogwarts letters today," Rose explained brightly. "And I was so excited to find out if I'm head girl or not that I couldn't sleep."

Nora blinked at Rose and shook her head. "You'd think after living with you for two months, I would be used to this by now." Before Rose could say anything back Nora had turned away from her, shaking her head in awe, and began to slowly trudge her way back to her room. Rose scowled and rushed into the bathroom.

It had been an interesting summer at the Weasley house ever since Nora had moved in. Since Nora had literally spent all of her adolescent years being neglected and on her own, she was not used to the attention Rose's parents were giving her. While Nora was respectful to all of her parents rules, that hadn't stopped her from finding ways around them.

Rose chuckled at the memory of waking up in the middle of the night to her father flipping out over finding Al in the living room, with Nora, in a very embarrassing situation. Once Rose's dad had kicked Al out the front door, he had immediately began shouting the fact that he had told Nora there were no guys allowed in his house without him knowing about it and that included his own nephew. Nora had proceeded to respond that she had informed him by writing him a note telling him what she was doing and that it was located on his bedside table.

Rose and Hugo were in rolling fits of laughter by the time their dad had come back from his bedroom with a sticky note detailing exactly what Nora was planning on doing with Al downstairs. Of course Nora had been grounded and, even though Nora had protested at the beginning of her punishment, she didn't seem to mind being grounded all that much. She had later admitted to Rose's parents that she had never really been grounded before, so it was interesting to experience it for the first time.

There had been no similar incidents afterwards but that didn't mean that Nora still wasn't sneaking out of the house late at night to go meet up with Al. That hadn't been all that surprising to Rose, since she knew that Nora had issues with following rules. Rose also knew that her parents were well aware of Nora's late night escapades but they didn't seem to mind all that much, since they knew she was only going to see Al.

Most of the time.

Rose scowled as she picked up her hair calming solution and began to run it through the tangled mess that she was her hair. Nora had also been sneaking off to go visit Scorpius Malfoy as well since the two of them had become very good friends in the middle of their sixth year.

Rose stared at her reflection in the mirror. Scorpius. She shivered slightly at the name. Rose had successfully managed to avoid seeing him all summer. He had even popped by the house a couple of times to do something with Nora, much to Rose's dad's displeasure, and Rose had made sure that she was nowhere near the house when that happened. Nora had instantly caught onto her plan to ignore Scorpius at the beginning of the summer and gone on to tell her that she was being an idiot about her feelings towards him. Luckily for Rose, Nora still didn't quite understand why there was even a plan in the first place. Rose recalled one of the arguments she had had with Nora with a scowl.

_"Who would even care that you liked Scorpius?" Nora said angrily._

_ "How about everyone," Rose argued. "My family would go mad over the idea of me fancying a Malfoy and that's not even the main reason why I'm ignoring him. You and I both know that he only fancies me because I'm the one thing he can't have."_

_ "So you're plan is to avoid the problem in the hopes that it will go away on its own," Nora replied irritably. "That is completely insane. No one can just put their feelings for someone in a box and forget about them. Take it from someone who knows."_

_ "I don't care," Rose replied stubbornly. "And it's none of your business anyway."_

Rose turned away from her miserable expression in the mirror as she remembered their argument. Nora hadn't been pleased with her much after that. Then again, Nora had been very on edge ever since the news of Kingsley Shacklebolt stepping down as Minister of Magic mid-way through July, only to be replaced by Robert Sampson, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the time. He had been one of the men who had come to Hogwarts the night Darius had fallen off of the astronomy tower and he had not taken to Nora very well. Rose had a feeling that Nora had not told everyone the complete truth about Darius' fall off of the astronomy tower, and with the news coming out the next day about Nora's super natural abilities, Rose was pretty sure that Nora didn't have many fans in the Ministry right now. Not to mention the fact that many people in the Ministry were uneasy about the 17-year old super girl going to a school with Cassandra Monroe as the new headmistress, a person who would never take orders from the ministry.

Rose knew her parents had been trying to hide the unease that was stirring in the Ministry, especially when a couple of auror's with questions for Nora had stopped by the house a week before in the middle of the day and Rose's mom, who had taken a day off, had told them to leave immediately on the grounds that they had no right to come into their home without written consent from either the new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the head of the Auror Department, which was Uncle Harry, or the Minister of Magic himself.

Uncle Harry had stopped by the next day telling them that one of the wizard's from the Winzengamot had gotten 2 auror's who were lower on Harry's pay role to go ask Nora a few questions for a fair bit of money and they had not been expecting Rose's mother to be around. Harry had suspended the two auror's for a couple of days for disobeying his orders and he had apparently had 'words' with the wizard who had sent them.

Rose could tell her family was troubled by the news. Uncle Harry had explained that Sampson had been the best choice to take over the position of Minister of Magic. He had been instrumental in the past for tracking down the remaining death eaters at the end of the war and he was very qualified for the job. However, like most human beings who feared the unknown, it was obvious that Sampson was not wrapping his mind around the idea of Nora being able to use telekinesis and telepathy very well.

Rose sighed at the thought as she turned on the shower and began to pull off her pyjamas. All she wanted was for her last year at Hogwarts to be as drama free as possible, but she wasn't an idiot. She may be able to control her own life but she had no say in what anyone else did. Rose stepped into the warm shower with a grateful sigh.

"Oi! Rose! Our Hogwarts letters are here," Hugo's muffled voice called out from the other side of the bathroom door.

Rose almost slipped and fell in the shower from surprise. Her Hogwarts letter was here. A huge smile broke out on her face, her hot shower completely forgotten. Rose quickly scrubbed the rest of the calming solution from her hair and hopped out of the shower. After wrapping a towel around her body and her hair, Rose sped out of the bathroom towards Nora's room.

"Our Hogwarts letters are here!" Rose exclaimed excitedly into Nora's dark room when she had opened the door.

Before Rose could even register what was happening, a large pillow connected directly with her face, knocking her back a few steps.

"Who, bloody well, cares!" Nora yelled grumpily from the darkness of her room and Rose watched in shock as Nora's bedroom door slammed shut on its own.

Rose huffed indignantly as she tightened the towel around her body. "She's about as pleasant as a Hungarian Horntail in the morning," Rose muttered to herself and she quickly made her way through the upstairs hall to the stairs.

"Hugh," she called out as she descended the stairs and sped into the kitchen. "Where are our letters?"

Hugo looked up from his cereal, only to drop his spoon in surprise at the sight of his sister only dressed in a towel. "Why aren't you wearing clothes?"

"I just got out of the shower," Rose replied impatiently. "Now where is my letter?"

"Its right there," Hugo replied pointing at the stack of letters on the counter.

Rose practically squealed in excitement at the sight of the letters and she rushed over to the counter to grab hers.

"You're a freak, you know that right," Hugo said dryly as he scooped cereal into his mouth.

"That's funny coming from the bloke with the giant bandage on his face," Rose shot back and Hugo's ears turned red in embarrassment.

Convinced that she had shut her brother up for a good 15 minutes, Rose ripped open her Hogwarts letter eagerly and dumped the contents of the letter out on the counter. The look of anticipation on Rose's face quickly vanished and was replaced with a gleeful smile as she stared down at the golden head girl badge that had landed on top of her Hogwarts letter.

"Merlin, thank you!" Rose yelled happily and she turned around to hold the badge out for her brother to see. "Look Hugh, I made head girl!"

"Yay," Hugo said with fake excitement.

Rose stuck her tongue out at her brother and turned back to look at the stack of letters. "Are mum and dad still here? They'll be so thrilled by the news."

"To be honest, I don't think dad will really care," Hugo replied and Rose shot her brother a dirty look. "And no they're not here," Hugo finished quickly.

"I need to write to them then," Rose said happily. "Do you know where Pea is?"

"Dunno," Hugo mumbled. "Probably out back."

Rose sighed impatiently and rushed out of the kitchen to the back door. Rose opened the door wide and peered out into the morning sunshine to see a large barn owl preening his feathers on her dad's rarely used barbeque.

"Come here, Pea," Rose called out to the barn owl causing him to look up from what he was doing to stare at her curiously. "You have to deliver a letter for me."

Pea hooted excitedly and jumped from his perch to her outstretched arm. As quickly as she could speed through the house with an owl on her arm, Rose rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a pen and paper from one of the kitchen drawers to scribble down a message for her mother. Hugo was right about her father after all. He would appreciate her making head girl much less then her mother. After she was finished, Rose folded up her letter and held it out for Pea. "Take this to my mom," Rose ordered and Pea happily clamped his beak down on the letter and glided out of the open kitchen window.

"You gave that owl the stupidest name in the world," Hugo said dryly.

"I was 7," Rose replied angrily. Pea's real name was actually Peanut and she had somehow managed to be the person to name the barn owl when her mother had gotten it when it had only just hatched. No matter how much her mother tried to change the name, Pea would never listen to any other name then the one Rose had given him. Rose wasn't quite sure why she had named the barn owl Peanut, but she guessed it was probably because he had been so small when she had first seen him.

"And you should open your letter and find out if you're a prefect this year."

"I know I am, Rosie," Hugo said confidently. "Who else could have gotten it? Daniel White. He's smart and all but he's not really 'role model' material. Besides Neville was the one choosing, so it's a given that I made prefect."

"What's wrong with you this morning anyway," Rose said while giving her brother a scrutinizing look. "You're never this grouchy in the morning. Did something happen with you and that little blonde haired Hufflepuff girl?"

Hugo stared darkly at Rose. "Go soak your head, Rose," Hugo muttered angrily as he got up from his seat at the table and trudged out of the room.

Rose just stared at her brother in shock. Was everyone in the entire house going mad or was there something wrong with her?

"It's you," Nora's smooth voice said as she walked into the kitchen, aiming directly for the fridge.

Another problem that came from living with Nora these days was that fact that she could hear everything you were thinking without really trying to. "I told you not to do that," Rose said irritably. "If you keep using telepathy when we're back in school you're going to get caught."

Nora opened the fridge and stared down at the contents inside. "I don't really focus in the mornings, so pretty much everything gets inside my head. For example, that creepy old lady next door has been thinking about catching Pea and eating him all morning."

"What?" Rose replied in horror.

Nora snorted loudly in response. "I'm kidding. But she does think about weird shit." Nora backed away from the fridge with a carton of orange juice in her hand and Rose watched as the fridge door closed on its own accord.

"I thought it was too early to be awake," Rose said to her friend.

"It is," Nora said as she took a seat at the table, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and pouring herself a glass of juice. "But all of your shrieking was making it impossible for me to sleep."

Rose broke into a wide smile. "I made head girl," Rose said happily and she grabbed her badge off of the counter to show Nora.

"I think the entire neighbourhood knows that Rose," Nora chuckled, "but congratulations none the less."

"Thank you," Rose replied, giving Nora a pleased look. "I just sent a letter to my mum but I haven't told anyone else yet. I should call Al to find out if he's gotten his letter yet. He'll be thrilled over becoming head boy."

Rose failed to notice Nora wince at the mention of Al getting his Hogwarts letter, since she was already rushing over to the phone. While most of the adults in her family had no idea how to use the thing, Rose and most of her cousins knew that you didn't need to shout into the phone to be able to hear the person on the other end of it.

"It's a bit early Rose," Nora said, her eyes anxious. "Maybe you should wait a minute or two."

"You're right," Rose replied in disappointment. "I should call Alice instead."

Nora sighed in frustration as Rose eagerly punched in Alice's phone number.

* * *

"What took you so long to get here?" Rose said impatiently when she opened her front door an hour and a half after she had called Alice.

Alice yawned in response. "You know I never wake up that early on the weekend Rose. You don't even wake up this early."

"So why did you come?" Nora called out from the kitchen.

"I have news that I couldn't tell the two of you over the phone," Alice replied, suddenly perking up as she walked into Rose's house, kicking off her flip flops onto the shoe mat.

Rose stared at her friend curiously as she followed her into the kitchen.

"Hello, Alice. What news do you have that could possibly top Rose making head girl," Nora said cheekily as Alice grabbed the seat next to her and Rose shot her a dark look as she lifted herself onto the kitchen counter to sit down.

"You will not believe what I did last night," Alice said excitedly, her cheeks turning pink from what looked like nerves.

"What did you do?" Rose asked, instantly growing worried at the nervous expression on Alice's face. "You look like you committed a crime."

"I did _it_," Alice said in a squeaky voice, looking at Nora for verification. Nora stared at Alice in bewilderment for a second before her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh," Nora said in surprise. "Wow. Really? I thought you said you weren't ready."

"Ready for what?" Rose said in confusion.

"I thought I wasn't but last night I was with Dave and one thing led to another and... it just happened," Alice said with a grin while bouncing nervously in her seat.

Rose stared at her friend in shock when she finally caught onto what she was talking about. "Did you and Dave have sex?" Rose exclaimed loudly.

Alice nodded in response and Rose could not help but let her jaw drop in astonishment.

"Way to go, Alice," Nora said in congratulations while clapping Alice on the back, causing the blonde to turn red in embarrassment.

"Did you use protection?" Rose asked in a high squeaky voice. Rose could hardly believe it. Alice, the most pure girl Rose could ever think of, was no longer a virgin.

"Of course I did, Rose," Alice huffed in embarrassment. "I'm not an idiot."

"How was it?" Nora said with a grin.

"I don't know," Alice spluttered. "It was fine I guess. It hurt a bit at first, but then it got better"

Lucky for Alice, the phone suddenly rang causing both Rose and Alice to jump. Nora, however, didn't seem at all surprised to hear the phone ringing. "That would be for me," Nora said standing up from her seat. "And don't worry about the sex thing, Alice. He'll get better with practice."

Alice turned a bright shade of red in response to Nora's advice. Nora patted her on the head comfortingly and then grabbed the ringing phone and walked quickly out of the room. Once she was sure Nora was out of ear shot, Rose rounded on Alice.

"How long had you been thinking about doing it with Dave?" Rose asked sternly, slightly put out over the fact that she had no idea what was going on in her friend's life. "And why didn't you tell me a thing about it?"

"I don't know," Alice replied with a shrug. "I guess I've been thinking about it for most of the summer and I talked to Nora and not you because...," Alice trailed off and gave Rose an awkward look.

Rose scowled. "Because my sex life is non-existent."

"It's not that," Alice explained, trying to find the right words to say. "You've been very distracted lately with your own problems and Nora does have more experience in this department."

Rose's scowl grew. Every conversation she had with either Alice or Nora always turned to the subject of _him_ and it was really starting to get on her nerves. "What kind of problems am I having Alice?" she questioned warningly.

"Um...," Alice said uncomfortably, her eyes lighting up when she saw Nora returning with the phone. "Nora! I brought something for you."

Rose noticed that Nora had an oddly high-spirited look for someone who had been whining about being woken up early. "Who was that?" Rose pried, still in an unpleasant mood.

Nora blatantly ignored Rose's question. "You seem awfully excited. What did you bring me?" Nora asked as she sat back in her seat.

"The latest Witch Weekly has named Al and you one of the most famous couples in the wizarding world," Alice said with a smile as she pulled the magazine out of her purse. "I thought you would get a few laughs from the article."

"Sweet," Nora replied taking the magazine from Alice and flipping through the pages to the article in question. "Oh," Nora said in pleasant surprise. "The picture of me is pretty good and they got a picture of Al when his hair is actually presentable."

"Who was on the phone, Nora?" Rose asked irritably.

"Scorpius," Nora replied in a bored voice. "He had to tell me something."

Alice's happy face quickly fell and she looked over at Nora with wide eyes. "Did he tell you what my dad told me about? Please tell me my father was wrong about Monroe's choice."

"He wasn't," Nora replied with a grin. "Oh look, the article says I'm one of the most beautiful young women in the UK."

"I can't believe it," Alice said worriedly, eyes darting nervously in Rose's direction. "I didn't think Monroe would actually choose him. Is she insane?"

"She might be," Nora replied in a bored voice. "But most of the things she's ever done or said are usually a part of one giant elaborate plan."

"Okay, exactly what is going on," Rose exclaimed angrily, causing both of her friends to stop talking and look at her.

"Should we tell her?" Alice asked looking at Nora anxiously.

Nora shrugged, never looking up from her magazine. "She's going to find out anyway, so we might as well."

"What are you guys talking about?" Rose asked, drumming her fingers on her leg in a show of impatience.

"Um...Rose?" Alice said tentatively and Rose looked over at her friend.

"What?"

"Al isn't, well... Al isn't head boy," Alice replied cautiously.

"Are you kidding me? Of course he is," Rose snorted.

Nora shook her head with a sigh and Alice hesitated before responding. "No Rose... he's not."

Rose stared at her friend in confusion. "Then... who is?"

Alice opened her mouth to say something, but Nora quickly interrupted her. "Scorpius is," Nora responded bluntly and Rose watched Alice physically wince at her words.

Rose stared at her friends in shock. Scorpius was... head boy? "He's head boy?" Rose repeated out loud in a dazed voice.

"Yup," Nora replied candidly, flipping a page of her magazine.

"No," Rose said shaking her head in shock. "No, no. He can't be."

"Rose," Alice said slowly. "My father has known about this for a week. Scorpius is head boy"

Rose's jaw dropped in disbelief. Her plan for avoiding Scorpius for the rest of her life came crumbling down around her. They would have to share a dorm room, a bathroom. They would have to plan school events together. She would have to talk to him every day. She would _see_ him every – single –bloody –day.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

* * *

"My life is over," Rose said miserably, her head buried in her hands.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Alice said reassuringly.

"Fine!" Rose exclaimed lifting her head from her hands. "This is so far beyond fine. Why didn't either of you warn me about this? Malfoy being head boy completely destroys my plan to avoid him for the entire year."

"Well the plan was doomed to fail from the beginning," Nora replied bluntly. "Not only does Scorpius have better grades then Al does, he's also not dating me. Scorpius really was the best guy for the job."

"How was I supposed to know that?" Rose whined mournfully.

"Maybe this is a good thing," Alice suggested in an overly cheerful voice. "Scorpius becoming head boy is obviously a sign from the fates telling you that you will inevitably have to talk to him about your feelings."

Rose just gaped at her friend and Nora snorted loudly. "Like that will ever happen. Rose has convinced herself that everything she feels for Scorpius will eventually fade away with time."

Rose hopped from her seat on the counter to the floor, gazing furiously at Nora. "I will never go out with a bloke who would actually choose to stay with Tatiana Zabini. I am not a contest to be won and I will happily tell him that. Also, you two better not be telling your significant others, or Andy, about any of this."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Nora said with a smile.

"I promise you that I will not tell them anything about how you love, Malfoy," Alice pledged.

"Wait," Rose snapped. "Back up. I do not love, Scorpius Malfoy. I may have some confusing feelings for him that make me somewhat attracted to him, but those feelings are far from love."

"What I don't understand is what happened when you talked to Scorpius at the end of the year that has you thinking that he wants to win you," Nora asked changing the direction of the conversation.

"That is none of your business," Rose said angrily. "And don't you dare try to read my mind to find out!"

"I wasn't going to," Nora replied hotly.

"Well... good," Rose shot back lamely storming from the room. Rose ran up the stairs two at a time, not bothering to be quiet along the way. She rushed into her bedroom where she dramatically slammed her door shut in an attempt to send a very angry message to Nora downstairs.

"Ugh," Rose groaned loudly kicking her armoire in frustration. Rose threw herself onto her bed and glared up at the white ceiling above her. Nora was right and Rose knew it. Her plan had definitely not been the greatest in the world. She had hoped that by avoiding Scorpius for the entire summer, her feelings for him would fade away due to the separation. Unfortunately, never seeing him had only had the opposite effect on her feelings for him. She found herself up late at night constantly asking herself questions about him. How was he? What was he doing right now? Did he ask Nora questions about her? Does he think about her like she does about him?

"I'm so pathetic," Rose muttered glumly, grabbing the pillow beside her so she could bury her face in it.

* * *

"Should we go after her?" Alice said worriedly.

"No," Nora said with sigh. "She just needs time to cool off for a bit."

"You really shouldn't get so angry with her," Alice scolded. "Rose has never been able to handle hard situations rationally."

"That's easy for you to say when you don't have to deal with both sides of the situation," Nora replied wearily. "Scorpius is beyond confused about how he feels about Rose and he refuses to tell me why he won't just dump Zabini in order to show Rose that he doesn't think of her as a trophy. And the trophy thing is a whole different story. Since I'm not allowed to read her bloody mind, I have no idea what gave her the idea that Scorpius just wants her because she's the grand prize in some huge elaborate scheme."

"That would be stressful."

"On top of all that," Nora replied mournfully. "The ministry has been breathing down my neck for weeks by sending me letter after letter requesting that I come meet with Sampson to discuss 'private matters'."

"And what did you tell them?" Alice asked.

"To take their wands and shove them up their asses," Nora replied stonily.

"You didn't actually say that did you?" Alice said anxiously. "Something tells me that they may not like that."

"No I didn't," Nora said with a scowl. "It was much more polite then that."

"You just need to relax," Alice said soothingly, patting Nora on the arm. "Just think positive thoughts and soon you will believe that everything will work out for the best." Nora shot her friend a dark look. "Well... maybe not, but you will feel better."

"Maybe...," Nora replied grudgingly only to become distracted by the sound of flapping wings. "Is that Pea?" Nora said turning around to look at the kitchen window. Nora's heart fell instantly when she found that she was not looking at the Weasley family's cheerful barn owl, but at an entirely black owl with dangerous yellow eyes.

"Isn't that your father's owl?" Alice asked hesitantly.

Nora stared despondently at her father's shiny gold stationary clutched tightly in Nightshade's beak. "Yes." Nora replied. "Yes it is."

* * *

A/N - July 12, 2012 - So, I have not updated in a very long time and for that I am sorry. Unfortunately, life got in the way of writing, as it sometimes does. Right now I'm in the process of re-editing and working on chapter 17 (which is half finished) and I hope to get it up in about a week.


	2. The Unwanted Dinner Guest

Chapter 2- The Unwanted Dinner Guest

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is not mine, he belongs to J.K. Rowling. However, Nora Wilson is mine and I am quite proud of her :).

* * *

"Since when do the guests invite themselves over for dinner?" Rose's dad bellowed from the kitchen. Rose, Hugo and Nora had all set up shop listening at the top of the stairs, since Rose's mother had kicked them out of the kitchen when Nora had almost cursed her dad's owl in anger. Alice had left the house not that long after Rose's parents had come home, which was really a smart move on her part, since Rose was definitely not looking forward to tonight's festivities.

"Well it's obvious that he just wants to check up on Nora," Rose's mom replied. "He has that right as her father."

"Please 'Mione," Rose's dad said with a laugh. "The man hasn't once called the house asking for Nora and something tells me that he hasn't sent any letters with that bloody devil owl of his either. Therefore, I vote we send him a message telling him that we're too busy right now to entertain unexpected guests, since I am not in the mood to have my ear chewed off by a rich, arrogant git who neglects his only daughter."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Nora said with nod. "I love your dad, Rose."

Rose didn't say anything back, since she was still listening to her parent's conversation below. Nora and Rose's dad were very similar when it came to their views on the world. Everything was pretty much black or white to them; there was never any consideration of the gray area in between. That was why she thought her mother was perfect for her father. Her mum always considered the gray area of any problem.

"As lovely as that idea sounds Ronald," Rose's mum said wryly. "We are not Nora's legal guardians. If her father wants to see her, we have to let him. We allowed Nora to live here this summer because it would have been heartless for someone who has been through as much as her, in such a small amount of time, to be forced to live alone. Especially with the way the Ministry and the Prophet are handling this. However, what the Prophet has not looked into, surprisingly, is the relationship Nora has with her father. So, how do you think it would look if we refused to let her father see her and the media found out about it?"

"It's true," Hugo whispered. "The only reason the media thinks you're living here is because your actual home is in Canada and your father wanted you to stay here to make your life easier or something. The Prophet has no idea that the two of you haven't had contact with each other since the beginning of the year. They probably think that he's been sending you letters or calling you to keep in touch."

"Just great," Nora muttered. "Why does your mother always have to be so bloody rational? It's infuriating."

"Come on 'Mione," Rose's dad said with a moan. "You can't be okay with what's going on. You and I both know Nora's father isn't here to ask us if Nora's been well behaved."

"I know that," Rose's mum said with a sigh. "And what he's doing is horribly rude. However, we know that whenever Richard Wilson makes an appearance, it usually means he knows something important."

"She's right," Nora said grudgingly. "My dad loves delivering bad news. It's pretty much all he lives for these days."

"Alright 'Mione," Rose's dad replied reluctantly, his body suddenly backing up into view in the doorway to the kitchen. "But if he goes out of line even once tonight, I'm throwing him out of my house with my own bare hands and I won't care who finds out."

"Shit," Hugo said, hurriedly getting to his feet. "Dad's coming."

Rose and Nora scrambled to their feet and hurried into the nearest room, which just happened to be Rose's, and closed the door as quickly as possible.

Rose and Nora hurried into a casual position as Rose's dad climbed the stairs and knocked loudly on Rose's door before opening it.

"Hey dad," Rose replied innocently. "So what's the news?"

Her dad knew they'd been listening at the top of the stairs. It was painfully obvious and the bleak look on Nora's face wasn't helping things.

"Get ready for dinner girls," Rose's dad said unhappily. "Feel free to invite Al over Nora if you want to."

"Do you mind if we're late?" Nora asked.

"No," Rose's dad replied with a grin.

"Good," Nora replied and with a pop, she had apparated from the room.

Rose sighed and looked at her dad. "Dad, you shouldn't have told her that."

Rose's dad just gave her a smile and walked out of her room.

* * *

Nora wasn't late.

Al had managed to convince her to come back to the house not that long after she had left and she wasn't all that pleased about it.

"Like my dad would even care if I was late anyway, Al," Nora said angrily.

"I know that," Al replied, running a hand through his already messy jet black hair. "But there's no need for you to sink to his level."

Rose watched the two of them from her seat on the couch across from them. The three of them had migrated to the living room when Nora and Al had arrived and Hugo had joined them not that long after.

"Do I really have to stay for this?" Hugo questioned. "Nora's dad probably has no idea I exist, so there really is no need for me to be here. I've wanted to ask James how his auror training is going, so I could head over to his flat for a visit," he suggested eagerly.

"You're staying Hugh," Rose said sternly. "The best way to make sure that Nora's dad behaves is by outnumbering him. That's why dad let Nora invite Al."

"Rose is right Nora," Al said encouragingly. "He's not going to be able say a single negative thing with all these people around."

"You haven't met my father," Nora replied grudgingly.

Rose's mum strolled into the room, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist. "Your father will be here soon, Nora," Rose's mum reported. "So I made sure that dinner would be ready when he got here. Both Ronald and I are hoping to keep this visit short and sweet, since we know how unhappy you are about this."

As if waiting for her mother's cue, the door bell suddenly rung, causing everyone in the room to jump in surprise.

"Is that him?" Rose's dad called from somewhere upstairs.

No one answered since Rose's mum was walking to the front door and Rose and Hugo had shot up from their seats to trail after her in order to get a good look at the infamous Richard Wilson. Rose watched as her mother let out a deep breath to calm herself, before quickly grabbing the door knob and wrenching the door open.

Rose blinked in surprise when she got a good look at the man standing in the doorway. She had been eagerly anticipating first meeting Richard Wilson because there had always been a part of her that believed that the reason why he was so horrible towards Nora, was because he was horribly disfigured in some way. However, the man standing in front of her was definitely not ugly. Instead he looked very put together.

He had expertly styled salt and pepper hair, a well tailored moustache above his lip and his golden brown eyes, which were exactly the same as Nora's, were staring at Rose's mother critically as he smoothed a wrinkle on his very expensive looking black dress robes.

Rose looked the man up and down, unable to deny that this man was indeed Nora's father. While the only physical trait they seemed to share were their golden brown eyes, the way Mr. Wilson stood in the door way, looking down at her mother with a look of both mild interest and superiority, was exactly the way Nora looked when she was talking to someone who she believed to be entertaining because of their own inadequacy.

"Hello father," Nora's said coldly, her voice drifting up from behind Rose and she turned to see that both Nora and Al had joined the party in the front hall. "What's it been? Six, seven months since you last blew into my life."

Rose turned to look back at Nora's dad, only to cringe a little at the icy glare he was giving his daughter. Rose looked away with a mental sigh. Yes, Nora was her father's daughter. Both of them were visibly intimidating, powerful and meant to lead, but never follow, which was why they would probably never fix their broken relationship.

Mr. Wilson ignored his daughter's question and directed his attention back to Rose's mum.

"Hermione Weasley," he stated gruffly, holding out one of his hands. "Richard Wilson. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Rose watched her mother meet Mr. Wilson's eyes before shaking his hand firmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I would like you to meet my children Rose and Hugo," Rose's mother replied, turning to look at both Rose and her brother. Wilson's eyes turned to look at Rose and she couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably under his gaze. Rose could easily tell that Richard Wilson had been very attractive when he was younger, and he still was for man in his 50's, but there was something off about his eyes. Unlike Nora's, which seemed to glow with energy, Richard Wilson's looked faded and devoid of any spark of compassion or life.

Rose's mother continued with her introductions. "You know Nora of course," Rose's mum said hurriedly, "and the young man standing behind Nora is my nephew, Albus Potter."

Richard Wilson's eyes lit up with recognition upon hearing Al's name, but he didn't say anything since his gaze kept drifting between Nora and Al, as if he were trying to solve some kind of puzzle. Rose knew that Richard Wilson had to know that his daughter was involved with Harry Potter's son, but by the looks of things, he hadn't been prepared to meet Al just yet.

An awkward silence suddenly fell on the front hall, only to be quickly broken when Rose's father hurried loudly down the stairs and marched into the front hall, his eyes glued on Nora's dad.

"Sorry for the delay," Rose's dad said with fake regret as he squeezed past Al, Nora, Rose and Hugo and outstretched a hand in greeting towards Mr. Wilson. "Ronald Weasley. It's wonderful to finally meet you."

Hugo snorted at their dad's sarcasm but managed to cover it up as a cough when Rose's mum shot him a glare.

"Richard Wilson," Nora's dad said in a less pleasant voice then the one he had used to address Rose's mother before grasping her dad's hand firmly. Rose watched in exasperation as the two grown men exchanged dark looks, while trying to crush the others hand. Rose inwardly sighed at how immature her dad was for a man who was well into his 40's.

"Well now that everyone's met each other," Rose's mum said quickly. "How about we proceed into the kitchen. I made sure dinner would be ready when you got here Richard, since I know how busy you must be."

Mr. Wilson let go of Rose's dad's hand, flexing the kinks out of his own hand as discreetly as possible, before turning to face her mother. "That sounds lovely Mrs. Weasley, and thank you for preparing dinner so early, since I have a meeting at 7:30 that cannot miss."

Rose noticed the quick flash of irritation that crossed her mother's eyes but she hid it quickly and gave Mr. Wilson a pleasant smile.

"Follow me," she replied, gesturing towards the kitchen and as Mr. Wilson walked past Rose's mother, completely ignoring everyone who was the same age as Nora, Rose broke into a smile when her mother shot her father a warning look before following Mr. Wilson into the kitchen. Rose's dad grumbled something angrily under his breath and followed his wife.

Hugo, not bothering to wait until Mr. Wilson was out of ear shot, snorted in annoyance before turning to talk to Nora and Al. "I bet 10 galleons on my dad punching Nora's dad in the face by the end of the night. You lot in?"

"Hugh!" Rose exclaimed in an angry whisper. "They can probably hear you."

"Who cares," he replied with a shrug. "Nora's dad's a git and we all know it. Mum's only being polite because dad isn't." Hugo directed his attention back to Nora and Al. "So are you two in?"

"I'm in," Nora replied. "I bet 10 galleons that instead of punching my dad, your dad just throws my dad out of the house. What about you Al?"

"I have no money right now, so no," Al replied with a chuckle.

Rose stared at Nora in disbelief. "You're actually betting money on the fact that the night is going to end horribly?"

"Yes," Nora replied grumpily. "If everything gets completely shot to hell, which I know it will, I might as well try and make some money off of my misery."

* * *

Rose had never wanted to be somewhere else more than any moment in her entire life. Hell, if she had been given the choice of having dinner with Nora's dad and being alone in a locked room with Malfoy, she would have definitely chosen the latter of the two options.

Dinner had started with Mr. Wilson asking Rose's mum exactly what she did in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and once her mother had finished explaining her job, Mr. Wilson had complimented her cooking before falling silent and it seemed that no one could think up anything else to say after that.

Rose fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, as she lifted a piece of chicken into her mouth. Rose had been unfortunate enough to get the seat between Mr. Wilson and her father, who was on one end of the table. Al, Nora and Hugo had managed to grab the 3 seats across from where Rose was sitting and Rose's mum was seated at the other end of the table, on the other side of Mr. Wilson.

Rose, deciding that the thick layer of tension that had fallen over the dining room needed to be broken before she started to go mental, turned to look at Mr. Wilson before engaging him in conversation.

"What do you do for a living Mr. Wilson?" Rose asked in a pleasant voice and everyone's eyes moved to look in his direction.

Mr. Wilson cleared his throat before replying. "I'm the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Branch back in Canada," he answered.

Rose already knew that, but she could care less. All she wanted to do was keep him talking so time would pass by faster. "Our new Minister of Magic used to be the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Branch here in England," Rose said politely.

"Yes I know," Mr. Wilson said. "He came to see me about 5 days ago."

Everyone at the table suddenly stopped what they were doing and Rose looked nervously around her to see mixed expressions of horror and surprise on everyone's faces.

"He came to see you?" Nora questioned in a high voice.

"Yes," Mr. Wilson said irritably. "His visit is actually why I came to see you, Nora."

Rose caught the nervous look both Al and Hugo shared as Rose's mother quickly grabbed her wine glass and took a large gulp of her red wine before refocusing her attentions on Mr. Wilson.

"What happened when Robert came to visit you, Richard?" Rose's mother asked in a polite but strained voice.

"He claimed that he had come to discuss setting up further precautions necessary for keeping the public unaware of the fact that Darius Morzane had escaped from Canada and had met his demise by falling from the top of Hogwarts' astronomy tower. I, of course, agreed to the meeting, thinking that it was also in the public's best interest to keep what really happened to Morzane a secret."

"What a surprise," Nora muttered darkly as she took a sip of water. Mr. Wilson's polite facade broke only for a moment at his daughter's comment before rearranging itself and Rose shot Nora a warning look, which she pretended not to notice.

Mr. Wilson cleared his throat before continuing his story where he left off. "However, it became clear very early on into our meeting that he had come to see me not just because of the Morzane affair. He began to ask questions about Nora's childhood and why she had left the Canadian Academy, and I knew then that it would be in everyone's best interests not to answer him."

"Then what did you say?" Nora asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm wondering that too?" Rose's father seconded, giving Mr. Wilson a hard look.

"I then asked Sampson why he had actually wanted to see me," Mr. Wilson responded curtly. "And he explained that most of the British ministry had decided that it was now time to investigate Nora further."

Rose jumped in her seat when a loud crack cut Mr. Wilson off mid-explanation and Rose looked over at Nora to see her staring daggers down at her plate, as Al rubbed her hand comfortingly in an attempt to calm her down. Rose, still looking for the source of the sound, didn't have to look any further when she realized that Nora's plate had literally split in half.

Rose's dad ignored the broken plate and asked Mr. Wilson another question. "What do you mean Sampson is investigating Rose further?"

Mr. Wilson's polite mask had now moulded into one of contempt as he stared at the remains of Nora's plate. "He wants to measure her abilities in full. He seems unconvinced that she has disclosed the full extent of her powers to everyone who is supposed to know and, frankly, I'm not that surprised. Even if I never will tell Robert Sampson certain things about my daughter, I am well aware of what she can do."

"What does that mean?" Nora spat, looking up from her broken plate to glare at her father.

"I think you know exactly what it means, Nora," Mr. Wilson replied coolly. "You and I both know that you aren't exactly the safest person in the world to be around. With it being so obvious that you do not have complete control over your abilities, it is only reasonable that Sampson and several other ministry members believe that you played a larger part in Darius Morzane's death."

"I beg your pardon," Rose's mother exclaimed and Nora stared murderously at her father.

"Do not let those big golden eyes fool you Mrs. Weasley," Mr. Wilson said in a cold voice. "Nora has not been able to control her darker side for years and I doubt, no matter what she says, that she ever will."

"Darius' death was not her fault," Rose exclaimed. "She was tied up, and not in the right mind to use telekinesis, when he fell off of the tower."

"And how do you know that Miss. Weasley?" Mr. Wilson said, rounding on Rose, causing her to inch away from him. "Were you not unconscious, as well as Mr. Potter, when Darius Morzane fell to his death?"

"Scorpius Malfoy was awake," Rose shot back icily, now wanting to be as far away from the man sitting beside her as possible. Mr. Wilson just glared at her in response.

"I think it may be time for you to leave, Richard," Rose's dad said coldly standing up from his seat.

"Not before I warn my daughter about what I knew was going to happen for years," Mr. Wilson replied.

Nora let out a derisive laugh. "What's going to happen dad?"

"This investigation, if it happens, will be deciding your future in this world, and this time, I will not be a part of any of it," Mr. Wilson replied in an unfeeling voice.

Rose gaped at the man sitting next to her, as Rose's dad spluttered in fury beside her. "You mean to tell us," Rose's dad said angrily. "That you are not going to help your only child through one of the hardest moments of her entire life."

"I have helped her too many times before," Mr. Wilson raved as he got up from his seat to point at Nora, whose eyes were devoid of all emotion. "I no longer care about covering up all of Nora's flaws and mistakes, since she constantly seems to throw herself into situations that cast her in a negative light."

"Are you kidding me," Al exclaimed. "It's your fault Morzane even got out of Canada in the first place. Nora never asked to be attacked by that psycho."

"You be quiet, boy," Mr. Wilson exclaimed furiously.

"Oi!" Rose's dad exclaimed. "That's my nephew you're talking to."

"Ronald, calm down," Rose's mother said, but her eyes were wide in disbelief as she stared at Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson ignored both of Rose's parents and continued his tirade. "Therefore, in order to save my family name from anymore scandal, I have decided that I will no longer be assisting Nora in any way. She is now on her own. My money and privileges are no longer hers for the taking. She can continue to live here for the rest of her life and I will not care. My only rule was for her to lay low while she was here in the UK, and what did she do? She went and murdered an escaped convict! Therefore, Nora, you are no longer welcome in any home of mine."

Rose just stared wide-eyed at absolutely nothing as the room went deathly silent. Richard Wilson had just disowned his own daughter for being a victim of things she could not control. Rose hadn't even been the one he disowned and she felt like someone had just sucker punched her in the stomach.

Rose dared a look at the people around her, only to find that they all wore similar faces of disbelief. Her parents looked appalled and furious all at the same time and Hugo was just staring at Mr. Wilson like he wasn't even real. Al, however, looked like he was about to take out his wand and hex Mr. Wilson, because Rose had never seen him look so furious in her entire life.

Rose's eyes slowly moved until they were locked on Nora's still form. Rose couldn't even imagine what she was thinking, since her face was devoid of all emotion as she stared blankly a head of her.

"Nora," Rose croaked.

Something unknown flashed across Nora's eyes and her blank expression was replaced with one of extreme hatred. Rose shrunk back in her seat at that look and stared at Mr. Wilson who, for once, seemed slightly taken aback by the look Nora was giving him.

"Good," Nora said, her voice murderous as she rose slowly from her seat.

Mr. Wilson shot her a surprised look. He had not been expecting that reaction. "What?"

"You heard me," Nora replied coldly. "I said good. You want to know why? Because now I'm free. Do you think I really give a shit about your money or the bloody family name, because I honestly don't. So now I have some news for you. It's been years, years, since I've had a real father since we both know he died with my mother," Nora exclaimed hysterically. "I've been on my own for years and you've only been that horrible foster parent that loads of foster kids get stuck with. So, I really don't feel bad about telling you this."

"Exactly what do you have to tell me?" Mr. Wilson spat.

Nora's eyes grew dark and she lifted a hand to point at her father. "After today," Nora said in a slow unfeeling voice that made Rose's skin prickle with fear. "I promise, on my mother's grave, that if you ever so much as contact me ever again, I will personally make your life a living hell, because you were right," Nora paused and shot her father a threatening look. "No one has any idea what I can do."

Rose stared at Nora in awe. Mr. Wilson no longer had a look of contempt on his face. Instead, he looked almost fearful of the young woman in front of him.

Nora gave her father a look of revulsion before looking at Rose's dad. "Could you kick him out of here, please? I want him out of my life for good," Nora asked, her voice beginning to waver.

"Of course kiddo," Rose's dad replied, still slightly stunned.

"Thanks," Nora replied, lower lip beginning to tremble when she suddenly apparated from the room with a loud crack, only for everyone to hear the crack of her returning in her room upstairs.

"Shit," Al swore before looking at Mr. Wilson. "I may not have the right to do anything to you myself," Al warned, "but consider yourself unwelcome in the United Kingdom from now on." Al then raced out of the room as a loud smash echoed from upstairs, followed by the crack of what Rose assumed was Nora apparating yet again.

Rose turned to look at Mr. Wilson and the only look she could give him was a look of disgust. This wasn't a man. This was a coward. A man who blamed all of his problems on his own daughter and Rose found herself wishing that he could burn in hell for all of eternity for what he had made Nora go through for years.

"Wilson," Rose's father said in a frosty voice. "It's time you got the hell out of my house."

Mr. Wilson barely acknowledged that Rose's father had said anything as he brushed past Rose and the rest of her family and out into the front hall. No one moved as they all listened to Richard Wilson hurriedly open the front door before slamming it quickly shut behind him.

Rose watched as her mother buried her head in her hands and her father rush to her side. Rose looked over at her brother who stared wide-eyed at the spot where Mr. Wilson had been sitting.

"What just happened?" Hugo asked in awe as the sound of Al's quick footsteps came rushing into the kitchen.

"Nora's gone."

* * *

Al had left with Hugo not long after he had told everyone that Nora was missing. The two of them were now checking to make sure if she had run off to any of their friends or families places. She didn't know why they were looking. She knew exactly where Nora had gone and she knew that she was safe, which was what she had told her family, but Al was protective of Nora and he wanted to see if she was okay with his own two eyes.

Rose had left her parents alone in the kitchen to talk and had made her way upstairs. Still reeling from the events that had just transpired in her kitchen, Rose had decided to keep herself busy by finding out what Nora had broken before she had apparated out of the house, which meant taking a look in Nora's room. Rose slowly pushed open Nora's half open door and stared into her room. Nora had converted the guest bedroom from being your average extra bedroom; into a room Rose was slightly jealous of herself. The once floral bed sheets were now a deep blue and the walls had been painted a light grey colour to contrast the rest of the room. Nora a few new pieces of furniture for the room, since Rose's parents had told her to make the room her own for the summer. Replacing the old white dresser was a dark stained wooden armoire, with a matching bedside table beside Nora's bed. At the foot of Nora's bed sat her black and gold trunk, which was currently open revealing her many different school books and supplies haphazardly stacked on top of each other. In one corner of the room was a large blue armchair with several different items of clothing thrown on top of it and in another corner stood a small wooden desk with several picture frames placed on top.

Rose walked over to the desk to stare at the moving photo's that lined the top of the desk. There was a large picture of Al and Nora smiling in one corner and a picture of Rose and her entire family taken at Al's birthday last July; Nora was sitting in the middle of the photo in between James and Lily, both of her arms swung around their necks. There were also several photo's of their group of friends and much to Rose's surprise a picture of Nora with Rose, Hugo and their parents tucked behind a few others that had been taken only a few weeks before at Rose's mother's insistence.

Rose picked up the photo and stared at it. It had been taken after her father had attempted to make hamburgers on the barbeque in the backyard. Naturally, he had failed miserably and Rose's mother had to take over when it was clear that her father was probably going to set himself on fire in frustration. Later, Rose's mother had gotten them all to take the photo, much to everyone's displeasure. Rose smiled down at the photo before putting it back in its spot on the desk. While Nora did her best to pretend that she had gotten used to having to look after herself, Rose knew how much she loved the idea of having a true family. Rose took a step back, only to be surprised when her foot stepped on something sharp. Rose recoiled quickly and lifted her foot to see if she'd been hurt. Rose gave a sigh of relief when all she saw was an angry red mark on her foot and she looked down curiously to see what had caused her pain. There, on the grey carpet, lay several shards of glass next to an overturned picture frame. So this was what had been smashed before Nora had apparated.

Rose bent down and carefully picked up the broken picture frame; turning it over slowly to see what picture was inside of it.

"Oh," Rose said quietly her heart suddenly filling with sadness. Rose gazed down at the moving photo of what was unmistakably a picture of Nora, her father and her mother on what looked to be Nora's 8th birthday. Her father was easily recognizable but Rose could tell that the smiling face of the man in the photo she was looking at had changed drastically over the past 10 years. The Richard Wilson Rose had just met was a broken man and she doubted anyone would ever be able to fix him. Rose silently wondered when was the last time that the man that had just been in her kitchen had ever smiled like he was in this photo. Nora's eye's drifted to stare at the lovely face of the woman next to Richard Wilson. It was stunning how much she looked like Nora. She had the same honey brown coloured hair; only hers had been cut to her shoulders, with bright blue eyes and the same glowing ivory coloured skin Nora had been blessed with. Not to mention their smiles were so similar that it was almost eerie. This was Nora's mother and there was no denying it. The woman moved her head and stared down at her daughter so lovingly that Rose felt her heart sigh in sorrow over what had become of this woman's family.

Rose gave a sad smile when she turned her gaze onto Nora's innocent 8 year old face. The smile on the little girl's face was bigger than most of the smile's Rose had ever seen grace Nora's features. Rose couldn't help but chuckle at Nora's lack of front teeth and how her long light brown hair had been styled into 2 braided pig tails, which bounced when the little version of Nora moved in the photo.

Rose pulled her wand from her pocket and aimed it at the picture frame. "_Reparo_," she muttered and all the shards of glass on the floor whizzed back into place from the floor and reformed themselves into a single pane of glass. Rose gently took the picture frame and placed it on the top of Nora's desk so that it was in front of all the other pictures.

Rose suddenly heard the creak of floorboards behind her and she turned to look at her father standing in the doorway of the room.

"Hey dad," Rose greeted half-heartedly, looking at him for a moment before turning her gaze back to the photo of Nora and her family.

"What are you looking at Rosie?" Her dad asked, stepping into Nora's room.

"Pictures," Rose replied. "That smash we heard was her breaking this picture frame."

Rose's father walked towards her and peered at the photo she was talking about, causing him to sigh. "I have no idea why Nora's father treated her so horribly," her father admitted despondently. "And even if you know why Rose, I will never ask you for the answer."

Rose didn't quite know why Nora's father treated her the way he did but she was still confused as to why her father would never want to find out more about Nora's family. "Why?" she questioned.

"Because sometime's it is best not to know," Rose's father said with a frown. "It's obvious that there was once a time when Nora's family was happy and perhaps we should help her try to remember that. While things aren't good now, and maybe never will be, we must make sure that she always knows that she will always have a family to turn to when she needs it the most."

"I think she knows that dad," Rose admitted, giving him a small smile. "But I guess it must be hard to try and let go of something that once made you happy."

"I think you're right. But, then again, you usually are. I some time's forget how much you've grown up. It feels like only yesterday that your mum and I bought you your wand, and now you're head girl." Rose's dad replied, smiling proudly down at her.

"Dad," Rose said, slightly embarrassed. "Can you stop please?"

Her father chuckled at her reaction. "Come on Rosie. Let's go help your mother calm down and then we can clean up the kitchen."

"Sure," Rose said with a half smile and she followed her father out of Nora's room, her eye's lingering on the faces of a once happy family.

* * *

A/N- *tear* I am fully aware of how depressing this chapter was but it was necessary. Yes, Nora has had a shit life and yes, no one deserves to be treated that way but the positive thing is that Nora now has people she can turn to, when before she didn't. Anyway, this was a quick update since I have the first few chapters already written so the next few will probably be up shortly. Please read and review as always, because I greatly enjoy reading everyone's feedback.

Also chapter 3 will be from Scorpius' POV for the first time. SQUUEEEEE! Everyone's favourite misunderstood Slytherin is back. ;)


	3. That's What Friends Are For

Chapter 3 – That's What Friends Are For

Disclaimer - Harry Potter is not mine, he belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

"If something's wrong Scorpius, you should tell me."

Scorpius sighed heavily as he turned his head to look at his mother. His mother, even for a woman in her 40's, looked the same way she had when he was only a child. She was regal, proud and not afraid to speak her mind when it was necessary. All the markers of a pureblood woman who was raised by a family who did not obsess about what type of blood a person had, unlike his father's side of the family. "Nothing is wrong mother," he replied irritably.

Scorpius' mother frowned. "You have had your mind in the clouds all summer Scorpius. Now, to cap it all off, instead of being excited about becoming head boy, you seem to not be looking forward to your new position at all. Now, tell me if there is something wrong, before your father tries to drag it out of you."

"Once again mother, nothing is wrong," Scorpius insisted, even though they both knew he was lying. "I'm just surprised that I was chosen."

Scorpius' mother sighed in defeat when she realized that he was not about to tell her what was bothering him. After all, all the things that were troubling him, were things he wasn't supposed to care less about. "Fine," Scorpius' mother replied and she walked towards him before putting both of her hands on his face and looking him in the eyes. "But I am proud of you, my dear. You've worked hard all of your life, at more than just doing well in school, and now it is paying off."

"Thank you, mother."

Scorpius' mother smiled at him and patted him affectionately on the face before stepping away from him. "You're welcome, dear. Are you going to be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"Is grandfather going to be there?"

Scorpius' mother hesitated before responding. "Yes."

"Then probably not," Scorpius replied resentfully.

"Scorpius," his mother said warningly. "Why must you always try to make your grandfather upset?"

"I'm not trying to do anything mother," Scorpius shot back. "I'm just not in the right kind of mood to listen to grandfather rant about how superior he thinks he is compared to everyone else."

"I understand that the two of you do not see eye to eye on a lot of things these days, but you should at least try to be civil to one another, especially for your father's sake," Scorpius' mother suggested.

Scorpius just stared down at his mother. How could anyone be civil to a person who thought he was better than everyone else because his blood was considered 'pure'? No one in their right minds would be able to. But Scorpius still followed orders none the less. He liked that his parents were proud of him and they had given him a good life, and if being with another pure blood made them happy, then so be it. He would do what they wished. However, that didn't mean he would respect a man who constantly belittled people he believed to be beneath him.

Scorpius wanted to tell his mother these things, he really did, but he also wanted his family to be happy. Something that was very hard in modern day society when your last name was Malfoy. Scorpius sagged slightly. "I'll be in my room," he replied in a low voice while ignoring his mother's suggestion.

Scorpius turned away from his mother and hurried through the upstairs hallway of Malfoy Manor to his room. It had been entirely remodelled after the war, since it had been damaged in more than just a physical sense by Voldemort.

While Scorpius would never be haunted by the images from the past, he knew for a fact that his father still had nightmares about the things that he had seen when Voldemort and the rest of the death eaters had set up camp inside the grand estate during the second war. Scorpius strolled into his room, closing the door behind him and collapsed on his sofa. He sighed dejectedly and stared up at the high ceiling's of his room.

Scorpius had been dating Tatiana for years now. When he was younger, Tatiana's parents would always bring her over to his house, which led to them becoming friends. As the years had passed by, Scorpius had begun to like Tatiana as more than a friend and his crush on her had led to him asking her out when he was 14.

In all honestly, Scorpius really had liked Tatiana when they were younger and he had truly believed that they were going to end up together. After all they were both purebloods, they had both liked each other, they both had a lot of money and at the time, Scorpius believed that no one else was worth his time. It had been a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately, reality had gotten in the way and during his fifth year, Scorpius had been unceremoniously jerked from the world he thought he had completely mapped out. Before his fifth year, most Slytherin's just avoided all the other houses. It was like some kind of unsigned peace treaty. Slytherin's wouldn't bother anyone else, as long as no one bothered them and everyone had liked that arrangement. And so, without even planning it, Scorpius never had a meaningful conversation with someone who wasn't from Slytherin until his fifth year, the year he had become a prefect.

He remembered feeling so good about becoming a prefect. How it was the first step to becoming head boy and showing the world that the Malfoy family was still a force to be reckoned with.

Then he had met Rose.

It wasn't like he hadn't known about her before his fifth year. Everyone in the wizarding world knew about the Weasley and the Potter families. They had become royalty in the wizarding world after the second war and Scorpius knew from the day that he started school that messing with the Weasley family would only lead to unwanted problems. So, the only contact Scorpius had ever had with Rose was when she was with her friends, and family, as they traded insults on which quidditch team was better or who had a bigger ego. Rose had never said a thing. She had only just rolled her eyes and talked to her friend Alice Longbottom, always completely uninterested in the arguments that unfolded in front of her. He hadn't understood why she acted the way she did. The rest of her family jumped at the chance to insult him and he had as well, but she had acted as if the entire ordeal was boring. His confusion had grown even more when he had tried to make fun of her frizzy red hair or her boyish looks and instead of getting teary eyed, she just shot him an exasperated look and told him to go jump in the lake. So, Scorpius had decided that she was just like the rest of her family; a group of stuck up gits who thought they were better than everyone else because their parents helped defeat Voldemort.

But it didn't matter. Scorpius had been taught to keep his distance from her family and he had, until the day when he could no longer ignore her existence. He remembered walking into the prefect car, his head held high, a triumphant smirk on his face and his very attractive girlfriend trailing behind him, only to run straight into a very different looking Rose Weasley.

Scorpius had never thought much about Rose. He had always thought she was plain looking, nothing special enough to tempt him, but when he had seen her for the first time since the end of their fourth year, she had changed in many ways.

Her hair had still been uncontrollably frizzy, even when pulled back in a neat bun on the back of her head. Her skin was still covered in a shocking amount of freckles and her two front teeth were still larger than the rest of the teeth in her mouth. But puberty instead of making her flaws stand out had refined them.

She had probably grown about 3 inches in only 2 months and the excess weight that she had had on her body in their fourth year had spread out, giving her the right amount of curves in all the right places. Her hair had even changed. Instead of turning a lighter orange over the summer, it had gotten darker, making her ginger hair more of a dark red colour. But the thing that had made him stop dead had been her eyes, which he had never noticed before in his entire life. The dark blue of her eyes resembled greatly the sapphires that made up his mother's favourite necklace, but he found that Rose's eyes were far more dazzling than a few precious gem stones. After all, he had never been able to become lost for words by just staring at a giant shiny rock.

And that had been when everything had changed.

He wasn't sure why, but actually _seeing_ Rose for the first time seemed to flip a switch inside him and suddenly everything other people had been saying about him and his friends started to make sense. That night Scorpius had listened to his friends talk about other people for the first time in his life and he decided that he hadn't liked what they were saying. Now, Scorpius knew that he had never really liked or agreed with what they talked about and, in order to avoid any unnecessary confrontations, Scorpius ignored the self-doubt that had begun to churn away in the back of his mind.

However, he found that he had been unable to ignore Rose Weasley and the only way he could think of to get closer to her was to increase how much he taunted her. He had even hoped that as he scrutinized her looks that he could pick out something that would repulse him, and allow him to stop thinking about her, to stop dreaming about her. Instead, he only began to notice even more things about her that he began to long to see every day. He became entranced by the fire that he could bring out of her when he pushed the right buttons and instead of seeing her as plain and boring like he had less than a year before, he saw her as a fiery young woman who would never back down from a fight willingly.

Also during all of their arguments, Scorpius began to realize that Rose was in no way full of herself. She was loyal to her family and friends, but she still got on their case if they ever did anything stupid. She was more serious about school than any other girl Scorpius knew and she had the grades to prove it. There had even been times when Scorpius truly believed that she thought she wasn't beautiful and he could never understand why.

And when he realized that his obsession with getting a rise out of her wasn't because he wanted to hurt her, but because he wanted her, Scorpius panicked. In an attempt to quell his feelings, Scorpius believed that if he took his relationship with Tatiana to the next level, then he would forget about wanting to be near Rose.

It hadn't worked.

After he had first had sex with Tatiana, Scorpius had found that his feelings for Rose had been elevated. Every time Scorpius compared Tatiana to Rose, Rose always won. And as Scorpius longed after Rose more, his views on the world began to change. He began to realize that the prejudice views his grandfather had drilled into his head only made him sound arrogant and foolish. Soon he was second guessing every little thing he had ever said, while trying to get Rose out of his mind and when he found he couldn't, he began to lash out at her.

The last half of his fifth year Scorpius had spent his time doing whatever he could with Tatiana to try and get Rose out of his mind, and insulting Rose every chance he got. He was furious with her for making him feel things he should never have felt in his entire life and he began to throw up emotional walls around his mind in an effort to keep his feelings for the red-head a secret. He even managed to convince himself that he was only lusting after something he would never have and that it would eventually pass.

And as his fifth year began to wind down he actually truly believed his theory... until Darren White had come along.

He remembered making fun of Rose for being a prude and not enjoying a party that was being thrown to celebrate her own house's victory over his own. Scorpius had been prepared for yet another exasperated sigh and a snappy retort to his insult, but Rose had reacted much differently than he had planned. Instead she hadn't said a thing; she had only stared at him with unbridled rage before stalking off into the crowd that had been taking up the entire room.

Scorpius remembered feeling triumphant over finally hurting Rose the way she was hurting him by just existing, and for the next hour of the party, he had been on cloud 9. But all of that had come grinding to a halt when he had caught sight of Rose on a couch, straddling Darren White while snogging him ferociously.

Scorpius' next reaction had been pure unfiltered rage. The monster inside of him, who had loved holding Rose's attention for as long as possible, was now consumed by one very simple, but dangerous emotion. Jealousy.

Scorpius sighed as he recalled that fateful night. The monster inside of him had literally been screaming for White's head on a stake and Scorpius had even thought about cursing the git to whatever hole he had crawled out from, but he had been stopped by a sickening realization. If he cared so much about the fact that White had his tongue down her throat, there was no way he just wanted her because he couldn't have her. No, he wanted her because he liked her and he never wanted any other bloke to have her.

Scorpius had just stared at the two of them for one very long minute before storming out of the room. For the last 2 months of his fifth year, Scorpius had avoided Rose like the plague. He was now terrified of her. Terrified of what she meant to him and terrified of what he would do if he ever so much as talked to her.

And to make matters worse, Tatiana being around him didn't seem to help him at all anymore. He had never realized how catty, conceited and irritating she was and he had grown very bored of her. Whatever he had liked about her when they had started dating in their fourth year was now gone and it was gone, not only because of Rose, but because he had changed completely.

He knew for sure that he had changed when he had gone home for the summer and he was having yet another family dinner with his parents and his grandparents. However, this dinner had been important in shaping how he now viewed his family. For the first time, he was seeing things he had never seen before. His grandmother talked very little about anything and his grandfather talked a lot and what had come out of his mouth had made Scorpius' inside's churn angrily. He had gone on and on about how useless muggles were or about how much he hated that their family had been reduced to practically being exiles in the wizarding community.

Scorpius frowned. He remembered his mother looking slightly irritated by what his grandfather had said, while sending his dad furtive looks. But his father was ignoring everything that was going on around him and had just continued eating. That night had been the first time Scorpius had talked back to his grandfather. He hadn't yelled at him, he hadn't threatened him, he just, in a quiet but serious voice, pointed out the obvious.

He explained to his grandfather exactly why they were outcasts and why they would remain that way if he continued to talk about other people they way he did. His outburst had stunned his entire family into silence. Even he had been shocked by his comment. Never before in his entire life had he ever disagreed with his grandfather. But that had been before Rose had called him a conceited git who was blind to the world around him, among other things, a couple dozen times in the span of a few months. Everyone had remained silent for the rest of dinner and Scorpius had gone directly to his room after dinner had finished. His parents, even to this day, had never once discussed that night with him. Scorpius could even guess that his father thought he had imagined Scorpius talking back to his grandfather, so there was no need to talk to him about it.

Scorpius had spent the rest of the summer constantly having reality thrown in his face and he had planned to ignore Rose like he had towards the end of his fifth year, during their sixth year. Unfortunately, things had not worked out they way he had hoped. He found that he could not stay away from her and no matter how hard he tried to stay away; she unintentionally continued to pull him back.

So he stopped trying and he had spent his entire sixth year engaging Rose in as many inadvertent conversations as possible, since he thought that was all he would ever have with her.

But then Nora Wilson had come along. A girl who was all about action, and not standing on the side lines, and she had managed to make him believe that maybe, just maybe, the possibility of Rose Weasley dating him was not so farfetched.

A sudden pop and then a knock on his door startled Scorpius from his thoughts and he sat up in his seat to look at his door.

"Who is it?" he asked curiously.

"It's me," a shaky voice replied.

Scorpius was up in a flash when he recognized the voice. "Nora?" Scorpius questioned as he strode towards the door. "I thought you were having dinner with your father." Scorpius pulled open his door and he only needed to look at Nora for a second before realizing that dinner had not gone well. Nora's eyes were red, puffy and glistening with tears that were threatening to spill over at any moment.

"Hey," Nora said in an unsteady voice, her lip quivering.

"What happened?" Scorpius asked worriedly.

A tear escaped from Nora's eye and streaked down her face. "Exactly what I thought would happen," Nora said with a shudder. Before Scorpius could even comprehend what Nora meant, she had flung herself into his arms and had begun to cry. Scorpius stared down in shock at Nora, who was clinging to him as a flood of tears flowed down her face, dampening the area of his shirt that her head was resting on. Hesitantly, Scorpius wrapped both of his arms around Nora's head and pulled her closer to him and she buried her head into his shoulder as a fresh wave of sobs wracked her body.

"It'll be okay," Scorpius said reassuringly as one hand stroked the back of Nora's head and the other reached out and closed his bedroom door to give them privacy. "It's over."

Nora began to cry even harder at Scorpius' words and she sunk to the floor, dragging Scorpius down with her. Scorpius gripped her closer. Nora had to be the only person in the world that was actually his true friend, and he knew from experience that she only cried when the horrors from her past came back to haunt her, which meant that the only thing he could do right now was not ask questions and hope that she would open up to him later.

"Everything's going to be fine, Nora," Scorpius said comfortingly. "I promise."

* * *

"Sorry about your shirt," Nora said as she tried to wipe off the makeup smears that were now staining the shoulder of Scorpius' light grey shirt.

"Don't worry about it," Scorpius replied. "I can just use a cleaning charm on it later."

"Should we be lying in your bed right now?" Nora asked. "I don't think your family knows I'm here and if anyone but your mother sees us, they may take this the wrong way."

Nora and Scorpius were currently laying side by side on Scorpius' king sized bed, since the bed was much more appealing to lie on than Scorpius' floor. "We're not even touching," Scorpius replied, turning his head to look at his friend. "So don't worry about it."

Nora frowned slightly at Scorpius' response. "Thanks for letting me cry all over you."

"Once again," Scorpius said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy that you got all that crap out, instead of bottling it up like you usually do."

"Ya," Nora replied in a distant voice.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Scorpius asked gently. "Or are we going to wait to have this conversation."

Nora was silent for a moment; her eyes glued to the ceiling. "My father disowned me," Nora said in a hollow voice.

Scorpius' eyes widened in shock but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't need to make this any harder for her by interrupting.

"I'm not all that sure why I'm so upset," Nora explained as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I really did hate living in that bloody mansion back in Canada. I was literally imprisoned in that stone monstrosity for months, all because I was different, and I knew I would never forgive my father for making almost half a year of my life a living hell." Nora paused and took a deep shaky breath in as her finger twisted itself angrily in the hem of her shirt. "I hate him," Nora admitted. "Not just because of what he's done to me but because of what he's become. I hate that a man who was once strong and fearless, allowed himself to turn into a callous bitter shell, who abandoned me because he needed someone to blame for my mother's death."

"You have every right to think that," Scorpius said honestly.

"So why do I care so much?" Nora exclaimed in frustration. "I know I never want to see him again. I'm actually embarrassed to call him my father and I practically threatened to kill him if he ever so much as sends me a birthday card. So why is this bothering me so much?"

Scorpius gave her a thoughtful look before responding. "I think anyone would be upset over being disowned by their only parent. The word 'disowned' is really just a fancy way of saying that a person is sick of you and you know that. And since you knew that, you felt how much that insult was meant to hurt, no matter how much you hate your father. While you may be happy about being free of your dad for good, you are still going to be unhappy about what you've lost."

"Ya," Nora agreed in a distant voice.

Scorpius stared sadly at Nora as they both fell silent. Scorpius had problems with his family but he could never imagine his parents disowning him. Guilt began to settle in the pit of Scorpius' stomach when he realized that Nora had to have trusted him a lot in order to literally cry out all of her problems in front of him and he was afraid to tell her what was holding him back from going after Rose.

"Okay," Nora said as she lifted and rearranged her body so that she was sitting cross-legged beside Scorpius. "Let's forget about my horrible life for a moment. We have to talk about your game plan for this year."

"Oh come on, Nora," Scorpius groaned. "I don't need a game plan."

"Are you sure?" Nora insisted. "Because Rose really doesn't seem like the type of girl who enters into a relationship with a guy who already has a girlfriend."

"I know that," Scorpius replied irritably.

"Then exactly what is your problem?" Nora questioned. "Because I really want to understand what is going on here."

Scorpius sighed. "I don't even understand what's going on, so how am I supposed to explain it to you?"

"Just try," Nora encouraged gently.

Scorpius turned his head to look at her. He knew that he had to tell someone what was going through his head and while he wasn't ready to tell his parents about what he was thinking, he was starting to believe that he was ready to tell a friend. Nora understood exactly how it felt to be the odd man out and she struggled with it every day, but she still trusted him to keep her deepest and darkest secrets from the rest of the world, so maybe it was his turn to start trusting her completely.

"I don't want to disappoint anyone," Scorpius said softly.

"Disappoint who?" Nora asked with a frown.

"My family," Scorpius replied. "All my life, I've been aware of the fact that my family is not very respected in the wizarding world and I fully accept that it is my families fault. But that doesn't mean I don't feel bad when we go out to some event and we have to leave early because someone is insulting my dad, my grandparents or my family name. So, ever since I was little I decided that I would do my best to make my family proud and make the Malfoy name respected once more."

Nora gave him a small smile. "That's completely understandable, but what does that have to do with how you feel about Rose?"

"Everything," Scorpius replied in frustration. "All my family wants is for me to do well in school, get a good job at the ministry and marry another pureblood so I can add more purebloods to are quickly diminishing population. There is no room in that plan for falling in love with Rose -bloody -Weasley." Scorpius paused and lifted himself so that he was leaning up against the headboard behind his bed. "I just want to make them proud. I don't want to make their lives harder than they already are."

Scorpius turned his head and looked at Nora, who gave him a thoughtful look before responding. "I think it's amazing that you want to do all of this to make your family happy. Most people are age just want to get away from their parents and do whatever the hell they want. But that plan they made for you is not what you want. You may have agreed with it when you were younger but you've changed. We both know that."

"But now I don't know what to do," Scorpius said in a lost voice. "I've always done what they've asked me and it's only been recently that I've started to question a few things. Now, the idea of marrying someone only to have pureblood kids sounds crazy to me, but it's not crazy to them."

Nora ran a hand through her long, wavy, light brown hair, her expression serious. "Scorpius, do you love, Zabini?"

"No," Scorpius replied automatically. Well that was depressing. He didn't even need to think about that question anymore. It was so painfully obvious that she irritated him to no end.

"Do you love, Rose?" Nora asked in a meaningful voice.

Scorpius stared at Nora. If he answered the question the way Nora wanted him to, which was truthfully, there would be no going back.

"Scorp?"

Scorpius hesitated before responding in a clear voice. "Yes."

Nora's face transformed from serious, to thrilled, in a second. "Now that, that is out of the way, it's time for you to grow a backbone."

"What?" Scorpius replied in surprise.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Nora replied with a snap. "Are you really going to let your parents decide the rest of your life, or are you going to man up and start living it for yourself. You and I both know that you would be miserable if you married Tatiana, or anyone like her, which means it's time to make some changes."

"That's a lot easier said than done," Scorpius replied grimly. "Tatiana's not stupid and, to make matter worse, she's also hopping mad, but she still thinks I won't leave her because of my family. And my family is a whole different story."

"Don't you worry about your family, Scorpius," Nora replied with a mischievous smile. "If everything goes according to plan, they won't know about you and Rose until you actually have her."

"But-?" Scorpius said in confusion but Nora cut him off with a hand.

"Scorpius," Nora said in a firm voice. "It's time you started listening to your heart instead of other people. I'm not saying that you have to agree with everything I'm about to tell you. Hell, some of it may not even work, but I know for a fact that if Rose actually got to see the same guy that I call my best friend, she would get over her issues in an instant and be all over you. But if that is going to happen, you need to stop being an idiot around her and start acting like yourself."

Scorpius stared at his friend. Nora was awfully smart for someone who was constantly getting into trouble. "You're right," Scorpius said with a sigh.

Nora smiled. "I usually am."

He grinned. "And modest to," Scorpius replied cheekily, earning him a punch in the shoulder.

"Shut it," Nora said with a laugh. "Or you won't have access to the beautiful and omni-powerful brain that is currently residing inside my head."

Scorpius chuckled under his breath. "Okay, okay. What's the plan?"


	4. A New Year Brings New Possibilities

Chapter 4 – A New Year Brings New Possibilities

Disclaimer - Harry Potter and the wizarding world are not mine - they belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.

* * *

"Rose," her mother said sternly. "You must promise to write to your father and me after your first day of school. I want to hear everything about your first day as head girl."

Rose sighed. She could already predict the word she would use to best describe her first day and it wasn't going to be pleasant or relaxing, but Rose suspected that her mother's excitement stemmed from the fact, that if her mother hadn't had to drop out of school after her sixth year and go on the run with Uncle Harry and her dad, she would have been head girl herself. "I promise, mum."

"I cannot believe that this is your last year at Hogwarts," her mother said proudly. "You've grown up so fast."

"Thanks mom," Rose replied wryly. "But in case you haven't noticed, I won't be able to graduate if you don't let me get on the train before it leaves."

The train's whistle suddenly blared a warning to everyone on the platform that it was about to leave, confirming Rose's statement.

"Right," Rose's mother replied before giving Rose a quick hug. "Your father told me to wish you luck before you headed off and remind Hugo and Nora to write at least once a week."

"I will," Rose promised with a smile as she stepped onto the train. The Hogwarts Express suddenly lurched forward, causing Rose to stumble back from the carriage entrance as she waved goodbye to her mother, before steadily picking up speed and leaving Platform 9 ¾ behind.

Rose made her way through the student packed corridors until she reached a compartment filled with the familiar faces of Alice, Nora, Al, Andy and David.

"There you are, Rosie," Alice exclaimed in relief. "I was starting to think that you missed the train."

"I was never worried," Andy replied, his bright blue eyes glowing with laughter. "The Hogwarts Express would never leave without our almighty head girl."

"But if we were lucky," David replied as he stretched out his long legs to rest them on the bench in front of him. "It left without Malfoy."

Rose smiled at both Andy and David's comments and sat down in the empty seat beside Andy. Those two were like two peas in a pod and it didn't even matter that they had vastly different personalities and views on life. Andy was a loud-mouthed flirt; while David was the giant shy and loyal teddy bear, but they still somehow were able get along better than any other pair of best friends in all of Hogwarts.

"No such luck, Dave," Nora said with a grin. "I was just talking to Scorpius and he was definitely on the train."

Rose couldn't help but be disappointed by Nora's news. She would be lying if she ever said that she hadn't hoped that Scorpius would miss the Hogwarts Express, which would lead to him being kicked out of his head boy position for showing a lack of responsibility and punctuality. That scenario had been one of many she had cooked up over the past week in an attempt to make herself feel better.

"I'm sure Scorpius won't abuse his position as head boy," Alice replied cheerfully.

"I don't know," Andy replied with a frown. "Something about Malfoy being able to take points away from Gryffindor kind of makes my skin crawl."

Al chuckled before turning his attention to Rose. "Speaking of all that Rose, when do you want to go to the prefect car for our meeting?"

Rose visibly frowned at Al's question. She knew that she should get there early since she was head girl, but she was dreading having to see and talk to Scorpius for the first time in months.

"You should probably get there early," Nora suggested. "You are the one leading the meeting after all."

Rose's eyes narrowed as she stared accusingly at her friend, but Nora's face was the perfect mask of innocence. She was definitely up to something, Rose was almost positive that she was, since she had been out of the house and over at Scorpius' the last week of their break more then she had been all summer. Unfortunately, she had no idea exactly what she was up to.

Rose sighed wearily and looked away from Nora's grinning face. While she definitely did not want to see Scorpius, she knew she really didn't have a choice. "I guess we could go now," Rose replied gloomily

"Cool," Al replied, failing to notice how morose she looked as he got up from his seat and gave Nora a quick kiss goodbye. "We'll see you lot in a bit."

Before Rose could tell Al to slow down, he was already out of the compartment and waiting for her in the corridor.

Rose grumbled a few choice words under her breath as she got up from her seat.

"Good luck," Alice said, while giving Rose an apologetic look.

"Ya, knock 'em dead with your brilliance," Andy encouraged with a smile.

"Thanks," Rose said with a sigh before giving her friends a forced smile and following Al out of the compartment and out into the corridor.

* * *

"Who do you think made prefect for Ravenclaw?" Al asked as they approached the prefect car.

"Well, Ben King, obviously," Rose replied confidently. Luckily for Rose, Al had sensed her nerves and instead of remaining silent as they made their way to the back of the train, he had started a guessing game with Rose on who the new 5th year prefects were.

Al made an unpleasant face at Rose's answer. "I can't believe my sister is dating that git."

"Are you kidding me," Rose laughed. "He's bloody perfect. Lily totally lucked out by snatching him up before any other girl did."

"I still don't like him," Al replied in a bitter voice before suddenly stopping in front of her.

Rose looked ahead of her in surprise upon seeing the door to the prefect car. Her stomach instantly sank as her nerves returned in full force. She was definitely not ready to handle Malfoy. She didn't even know how she was supposed to act around him, let alone have a civil conversation without letting it slip that she hated him because she fancied him.

"You okay, Rose?" Al asked. "You're looking a bit green."

Rose gave him a weak smile. "Nerves."

"I see," Al replied and he put an arm around her shoulders in a show of brotherly affection. "Don't worry, Rosie," Al reassured. "You'll do fine. Just remain calm and everything will go smoothly."

Rose nodded as she tried to convince herself that what Al was saying was true.

"And if Malfoy, or anyone else, gives you grief," Al said. "Just act like Nora does around people she doesn't like."

Rose gave Al a confused look, her nerves momentarily forgotten. "So I should pretend like Malfoy's a worthless piece of dirt and try insulting him while pretending like I'm not."

Al frowned slightly before becoming thoughtful. "I was thinking that you should just be painfully civil towards him, but that works to."  
Rose laughed and, with her nerves in check for a moment, she grasped the handle on the prefect car's door and slid it open before stepping inside.

The prefect car was a lightly furnished mahogany coloured room with walls adorned with framed photos of past prefects going back over several decades. It was simple and Rose had to agree that it should stay that way, since people her age could be easily distracted if the room looked like it backed onto an African savannah or the Amazon rainforest.

There were a few prefects already gathered together in a few comfy chairs and on the floor in front of a table that Rose would be standing in front of during the upcoming meeting. Much to Rose's surprise, Tatiana Zabini stood off to the side of the group with one other Slytherin and he was definitely not Scorpius Malfoy. Rose inwardly sighed in relief over getting to the meeting before Scorpius and she raised a hand to greet the prefects who had turned to see who had come into the room.

"Hey Rose, Al," Louis greeted. "Come on over here."

Rose spent the next couple of minutes greeting old friends and welcoming new prefects and after about a half an hour every one of Hogwarts prefects, new and old, were gathered in front of Rose as they waited expectantly for the meeting to begin.

"Malfoy's cutting it a bit close isn't he?" Al said from where he was standing next to her.

Rose stared up at the clock on the wall and then back on the door at the other end of the room. Scorpius and her were supposed to have started the meeting about 5 minutes ago and Rose was becoming slightly irritated. Most of her nervousness about seeing him again had dissipated, as it was replaced with annoyance, and she had been able to decide that the best way to handle Malfoy, at least for now, would be to pretend like nothing had happened between them at the end of the year.

Rose turned her back on the door and stared down at the table she had been leaning on. The entire summer Rose had agonized over the fact that the guy she liked only viewed her as a trophy and so, like a smart girl, she had kept her distance but she couldn't, for the life of her, understand why she hadn't gotten over him. She had even begun to think about the stories her mother had told her about how long she had liked Rose's dad before they had eventually gotten together. Her mother had explained that she had inadvertently tried to make her father jealous on a few occasions and when her father had turned the tables on her, her mother had tried to forget about him, only to find that she had been unable to. This apparently, had been her mother's first real indicator that she more than just fancied Rose's dad.

That part of her mother's story used to make her heart swell, but she had been 11, naive and not falling for a Malfoy when she had first heard that story. Now she became terrified even when she so much as thought about her mother' story, especially since she was living proof that her mother had been right about more than just liking her dad.

So now Rose's head was filled with the idea that, since she was unable to even forget Scorpius for more than a few hours, did that mean she more than just fancied him? Could that mean that she maybe even loved him?

Rose was snapped from her panicked thoughts when the familiar whoosh the compartment door made when it opened sounded behind her and Rose cringed slightly as she turned to see who had come inside, silently praying that it was just a curious first year.

Rose's eyes widened at who she was staring at and her nerves suddenly returned in full force, when she found herself staring at Scorpius Malfoy. Rose knew that she was not doing a very good job of pretending that nothing happened between them and by the look on Scorpius' face, he also still remembered what happened during their last conversation. Come on Rose. Pull yourself together.

Rose managed to collect her thoughts long enough to remember Al telling her to act like Nora if all else failed. Rose took a deep breath, making sure that she was oozing cool indifference, before addressing Scorpius' presence in the room.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Malfoy," Rose greeted coldly. "I was about to send Zabini out to find you."

Zabini shot Rose an icy glare and Al just stared at Rose in surprise before taking a seat with all of the other prefects, who had all quickly quieted down when they had heard the hard edge to Rose's greeting. It was obvious that they had realized that it may be in everyone's best interest to try and wrap up this prefect meeting as quickly as possible.

"I was sorting something out," Scorpius replied staring back at Rose. "Sorry I'm late."

Rose's indifferent attitude wavered slightly under Scorpius' gaze but she managed to regain control before any of the prefects noticed her slip up.

Unfortunately, since he had been staring at her, Scorpius had noticed the effect he was having on her and he shot her a small grin as he walked through the group of prefects to the front of the room to stand beside Rose.

Rose's insides seemed to purr in appreciation at how close Scorpius was to her own body and Rose had to mentally beat some very unwanted thoughts to the back of her mind, which was something that was very hard to do at that moment. Like everyone else, Scorpius had yet to change into his Hogwarts uniform and he was now sporting quite a laid back look for a bloke who was the heir to a fortune in gold.

Scorpius had on a slightly fitted dark blue polo and a pair of excellently tailored lighter washed jeans that Rose, and all the other girls in the room, could not help but notice fit him in all the right places. Not to mention the dark blue of his polo only seemed to accentuate how flawless his pale skin actually was and Rose wasn't even going to get into how good the shirt actually made his body look without running the risk of drooling all over herself.

Rose's eyes wandered upwards to look at Scorpius' face and she had to bite her check to keep her mind from wandering off as she looked straight into his stormy grey eyes, which were positioned just under the fringe of his shaggy trademark pale blonde hair.

"Would you care to begin, Malfoy," Rose said in a fake pleasant voice as her hormones went haywire.

"Sure," Scorpius replied with a smile and Rose's mind suddenly turned to goo. Rose just stared at him as he turned his head to look at the crowd gathered in front of the 2 of them. Scorpius rarely ever smiled, let alone at her and Rose found herself recalling how much she had liked it last year when he had smiled at her. Rose had to shake her head to get rid of her muddled thoughts before turning to look at all the prefects, only to find that they were all just as confused by Scorpius' new found sunny disposition. Why the hell was he being so bloody pleasant? Nora had made it seem like she was mentally torturing him all summer and right now he looked like he had just gotten back from the beach.

Rose looked over at Al, Louis and Hugo and each of them were staring at Scorpius with similar bewildered expressions and the two female Gryffindor prefects sitting with them, Tessa Bletchley and Alexandra Hastings, were sighing contentedly as they stared at Scorpius, obviously not retaining a single word he was saying.

"When are we going to decide which prefects do their round at certain times?" Ben King suddenly asked, causing Rose to realize that she had also not been paying attention to a single thing Scorpius was saying.

"We will create a schedule when all of the Quidditch captains inform us what days they're teams will be practicing, since I know that many of you are on the school teams or are planning to try out this year," Rose replied before Scorpius could say anything, successfully managing to make it look like she had been listening.

King nodded to show he understood and Rose's attention turned to Beatrice Reynolds, a 7th year Hufflepuff prefect, who had her hand raised high.

"Yes," Rose said pointing at Beatrice.

"I was wondering – well, actually, I think we were all wondering," Beatrice said with a wry laugh as she flipped a blonde curl behind her shoulder, "if the two of you will be able to work together well this year?"

Rose just stared at Beatrice. "What?" she asked in astonishment, all the pleasantness from her voice gone in an instant.

"Well," Beatrice replied clearing her throat nervously. "The last time a Slytherin and a Gryffindor were head boy and girl was, like, 15 years ago. Right, Rachel?" Beatrice asked, turning to the short girl next to her.

Rachel nodded eagerly in clarification. "Right."

Beatrice turned away from her friend and continued. "And since we all know that your families – er – have very negative views of each other and that the two of you haven't always been very civil, we're all worried that you aren't going to be able to work well with each other," Beatrice explained cautiously.

Everyone in the room turned their gaze away from Beatrice to look at both Scorpius and Rose. Rose bristled, her fist clenching. Who the hell was this girl? As if she knew a thing about Scorpius and Rose's families or themselves. Rose was about to explode when she felt a hand grip her shoulder.

Rose turned her head in surprise to stare at Scorpius' hand on her shoulder. Rose looked up at Scorpius' face to see him giving her a stern look before he removed his hand and turned to look at Beatrice.

"Rose and I will have no problem working together this year since we both know that it's not wise to linger on our past issues, so there is nothing for you all to worry about," Scorpius replied seriously and Rose frowned at the slight double meaning to Scorpius' answer.

"Oh," Beatrice replied, blinking in surprise at Scorpius' honesty. "Well that's good to know. Thanks."

"Yes," Zabini suddenly said, catching both Rose and Scorpius' attention instantly. Zabini smirked. "There really is nothing to worry about Bea. I'm sure the two of them will get along famously," Zabini replied suggestively.

Rose's eyes widened in shock and she thanked Merlin that Scorpius was too busy looking at Zabini to notice. Another thing Rose had not forgotten over the summer was the conversation Rose had had with Zabini at the end of last year. Zabini telling Rose that she could have Scorpius for the rest of their Hogwarts career, since she would have him forever after they graduated, had made very little sense to Rose and it still didn't. After all, why would any girl encourage another girl to go after her boyfriend?

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Tatiana," Scorpius replied icily. "I'm sure Rose and I will work _very_ well with each other this year."

Rose's face turned pink at the suggestive note to Scorpius' voice and she couldn't help look away from the murderous look on Zabini's face.

"Well," Rose replied, clearing her throat nervously. "Are there anymore questions?"

* * *

"That, by far, was the most interesting prefect meeting I have been to in a very long time," Al said as several prefects filed out of the room and back to see their friends. "And I couldn't help but notice that there was a lot of tension between Malfoy, Zabini and you that was definitely not there at the end of last year."

"I think you're just seeing things Al," Rose said in a tired voice. The rest of the meeting had gone relatively smooth but Zabini had spent the entire meeting glaring at her, which everyone had noticed.

"I don't think I was," Al replied with a smirk. "Especially since I caught Malfoy staring at you rather longingly a few times."

Rose's stomach did a back flip over the news but she hid her pleasure before responding. "Sure Al," Rose replied sarcastically.

"I'm totally sure," Al chuckled. "Since he's staring at you right now."

Rose instantly went rigid and she turned her head to see Scorpius staring at her in a way that made Rose's legs turn into jelly. Rose groaned in frustration before grabbing Al by the arm and dragging him across the room to the exit. It was official. Her seventh year was going to bring just as much drama to her life as last year and there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

The rest of the train ride had been a blur of occasionally patrolling and chatting with old acquaintances and Rose had actually been surprised when she had looked out one of the train's windows to see it pulling into Hogsmeade station.

Rose hurried her way through the train back to the compartment her friends were in and she arrived just as they were about to leave.

"There you are," Nora greeted as Rose's friends made their way to one of the train's exits. "We thought you'd already gotten off."

Rose smiled and followed her friends off the train and towards where the carriages were waiting to carry students back to the castle.

Everyone clambered into the first empty carriage they could find and with a lurch the thestrals, which were invisible to Rose, began to pull the carriage up the cobble stone street towards Hogwarts.

"It feels good to be back," Andy said with a content sigh as he leaned back in his seat.

"Ya," Rose agreed as the trees that lined the road towards Hogwarts suddenly vanished to reveal the awe-inspiring structure that was Hogwarts castle. Even though Rose had spent the better part of 6 years at Hogwarts, it still never failed to take her breath away.

The carriage began its upward climb up the hill Hogwarts had been built upon and Rose looked away from the castle to look at her friends, only to notice that Nora's gaze was fixed on the gap between the carriage Rose and her friends were in and the carriage in front of them.

Rose had long suspected that Nora could see thestrals, after noticing her eyes linger on the empty areas in front of the Hogwarts carriages more than once, but Rose had never pried for details.

The wheels of the carriages clattered loudly over Hogwarts stone walk way before parking itself in the front courtyard of the castle amongst several other carriages and a sea of students making their way towards the carved stone archway that led inside the castle.

As Rose got off of the carriage, she caught sight of several younger students stopping to stare in her direction.

Rose, knowing that she definitely was not worth staring at for that long, turned to watch as Al gave Nora a hand as she hopped out of the carriage. Rose gasped when she realized exactly what the kids were staring at.

"Nora," Rose hissed. "What's with the light show?"

Nora frowned at Rose and looked at her hand. "Oh," Nora said in surprise. "Guess I'm just happy to be back," Nora replied hurriedly and she closed her eyes in concentration, the glow emanating from her skin slowly vanishing.

Rose frowned. One of Nora's many abilities was that she was able to create a sort a telepathic aura around herself that many more weak-minded people found intoxicating. Unfortunately, with the ministry's new crack down on getting Nora to stop using her more exotic abilities on regular people, meant Nora glowing like a lantern was a big no no to the ministry.

"Are you alright, Nora?" Al whispered, trying to keep his voice down.

"I'm fine," Nora said irritably. "Let's get going."

Rose's frown grew but she decided not to question the matter further. Rose followed her friends into the castle and they slowly made their way through Hogwarts grand hallways before entering into Hogwarts magnificent Great Hall.

Rose and her friends quickly found their seats at the table reserved for Gryffindor's and turned their attention up to the front of the room. The biggest change had to be that instead of McGonagall sitting in the large old wooden chair in the middle of the head table, Monroe now called the seat her own.

Cassandra Monroe, the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and head of Ravenclaw, had taken over the headmistress position when McGonagall had retired at the end of last year and Rose could not have picked a better person for the job. Monroe was the perfect mixture of beauty, brains and mystery. For today's festivities, Monroe had her long raven black hair swept up into a messy up do and she was wearing what appeared to be a set of sleek black dress robes that perfectly complimented Monroe's tall slim body, and it seemed to shimmer in the light of the candles that hung magically from above everyone's heads.

Monroe seemed to notice Rose staring at her and she have Rose a small smile, her violet coloured eyes glittering in amusement. Rose smiled back and then turned back to her friends.

As every student in the room settled into their seats, the massive oak doors at the end of the great hall opened to reveal Neville Longbottom, the new deputy headmaster, leading a group of several nervous looking first years up the space between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, towards a stool in front of the head table. And sitting on that stool was a very old and frayed hat.

"They're so cute," Alice cooed as everyone watched the first years march past them as they made their way to the sorting hat.

"Ya, I remember when I was sorted into Gryffindor," Nora said jokingly. "I was so young and innocent."

"If by innocent you mean terrifying, then yes, you were," Andy replied with a smirk and everyone laughed at the memory.

Once the sorting had finished and Gryffindor had acquired about a dozen new members, everyone quickly quieted down when Monroe stood up from her seat.

"Welcome one and all to another year at Hogwarts," Monroe greeted and a few people cheered. "As you may have noticed, we have added a new member to Hogwarts teaching staff, since I no longer will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Rose blinked in surprise. She hadn't even realized that with Monroe now being headmistress, Rose would be getting a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"I don't see any new professors," David said squinting up at the head table.

"I do," Nora said testily her gaze fixed on one of the ends of the head table.

"I would like you all to welcome Professor Grant to Hogwarts," Monroe announced and gestured in the same direction Nora was staring. "He will be taking over my former position as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and I assure you all that he will do a fabulous job."

Rose, and pretty much everyone else in the room, turned their head in the direction Monroe had pointed and from the last seat on the end of the table, a man pushed out his chair and stood to greet the room with a large cheerful smile and a slight bow as people clapped.

Rose just gaped at the man at the end of the table as Nora glowered at him. Nora had explained to her over the summer that Monroe's replacement was going to most likely be in the ministry's employment as well because they wanted someone available at all times to monitor her. After all, how were they going to know if Nora was following orders if there was no one there to make sure that she was?

However, what Rose was so surprised about was how young the man was. There was no way that this man was even over 30. He had a full head of curly dirty blonde hair, tanned skin and, while Rose could not tell from far away, he looked quite tall. Over all, he still had the youthful look of a person in their 20's who had spent most of the past few years living in a shack on a beach in Costa Rica.

The only thing that made Rose believe that this man's previous occupation hadn't been a professional beach bum, was the large white scar that went from the side of his forehead, across the bridge of his nose and then sliced its way to a stop half way across his cheek.

"We're far away," David said in awe. "And I can still tell that that is one hell of a scar."

"Hey," Al said suddenly. "I've heard of this bloke. He's only a few years older than Teddy and they both worked together in the auror department."

"How much do you want to bet that he knows legilimency and occlumency?" Nora said in a cynical voice.

"Even with the scar," Alice added. "He is very good- looking."

Rose had to agree. The scar even added to his looks by making him look slightly dangerous.

"So this is the bloke the ministry sent to watch Nora?" Andy questioned.

"I guess," Rose said with a shrug while Nora continued to glower at the man as he sat back in his seat.

"I've got to give the ministry points for this one," Andy said with a slight laugh.

"And why would you do that?" Nora snapped.

"Well," Andy explained. "The ministry obviously knows that Nora would never give any old stuck up ministry official the time of day, so they did their homework and sent an attractive 20 something year old guy, who just happens to be a former auror, to be Hogwarts new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Something Nora just happens to want to be. So, the bloke charms Nora by flashing that big old smile her way a few times and he uses the knowledge he gained as an auror, or a sob story about how the ministry betrayed him, to lure Nora into believing that he's on her side. And when she finally lets her guard down around him and starts using her abilities a little too freely while he's around, he'll run straight back to the ministry to give them a full report on how dangerous you are."

"So you're telling us," Al said slowly. "That the ministry has sent some good-looking bloke to seduce Nora into befriending him so he can spy on her easier."

"Pretty much," Andy said with a shrug.

Rose just gaped at Andy. "That has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"You may think its stupid now my dear," Andy replied. "But just you wait."

Rose sighed in exasperation and looked over at Nora who was still glowering at Grant. "You don't actually believe Andy do you?"

Nora turned to look at Rose and gave her a meaningful look. "I've heard weirder ideas Rose, believe me."

"Now onto other matters," Monroe declared and Rose refocused her attention on the headmistress. "As you all know the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students and Mr. Filch would like me to remind you all that all Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products are not allowed anywhere on campus. Now," Monroe said before pausing, giving the room a large smile, "like all the many great headmaster's and headmistresses before me have said many times before, let the feast begin."

Upon her command, the empty table top in front of Rose suddenly vanished under an array of plates, cutlery and giant platters of every kind of food imaginable.

"This," Andy said gleefully, gesturing to the food in front of him. "Is why I come back to school every year."

"How are you all enjoying your first day back?" Professor Longbottom asked cheerfully.

Every year without fail, Professor Longbottom would make his rounds around the Gyrffindor table to ask everyone how there summer's had been and try to find out where all of his student's heads were.

"We're enjoying it immensely, Professor," Andy replied as he shovelled food into his mouth.

"It's just good to be back," Al replied.

"Well that's good to hear," Professor Longbottom said with a smile. "Congratulations on becoming captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, Al, I know we'll stretch out the winning streak to 6 years in a row with you leading the team."

"Thanks professor," Al replied. "But I need to find replacements for my brother and Fred, which won't be easy."

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Longbottom said with a reassuring nod before turning to look at Rose. "Before I go, Rose, will you meet me up at the head table once the feast is over? I need to show Mr. Malfoy and yourself to where you will be living this year and then we'll go over a few of your new responsibilities."

"Sure, professor," Rose replied with a smile.

"I will see you soon then," Longbottom replied. "Enjoy the rest of your dinner all of you."

Rose watched as Longbottom moved his way down the table to a group of 3rd years and she sighed. Please, please, whoever controls fate, destiny and the entire world, let tonight go smoothly.

"Your dad is always so positive, Alice," Nora commented. "Are we all sure he was once an auror?"

David frowned before responding. "Believe me, Nora. He definitely used to be an auror. You should have seen him when he gave me the 'don't hurt my daughter, or else' speech. Do you know how uncomfortable it is for me to sit through herbology lessons knowing I'm dating his only daughter," David explained vigorously.

"Oh, don't be a baby Dave," Alice replied in exasperation. "He's just bluffing."

"I'd love to test that theory," Andy said with a wicked grin. "Since something tells me that the good professor has no idea what his daughter was up to this summer."

Al and Nora suddenly erupted in laughter, causing several people to turn and stare, as David turned as white as a sheet.

Alice shot Andy a dangerous look. "If you say a thing to my father Andrew William Goss, I will shove numerous sharp edged objects inside a place that will make it very uncomfortable for you to sit down," Alice threatened.

Andy's eyes widened to the size of a pair of saucers and he held up his hands in a show of defeat. "I was kidding, Alice," Andy explained, laughing nervously. "Do you really think I want to talk to your dad about the things you do with Dave when the two of you are alone?"

Nora and Al's laughter increased and Rose broke into a wide smile when David's ghostly pale face suddenly turned a bright shade of crimson.

"Would you shut your mouth mate," David hissed. "People are staring at us."

"No, please don't Andy," Nora exclaimed as she wiped a happy tear from her eye. "This is the most I've laughed in over a week."

Rose let out a laugh as Alice rounded on Nora and David sunk lower in his seat in embarrassment; half of the room now staring at their area of the table in confusion and interest.

Even though Rose had no idea what the future held, she couldn't help but think that everything would be alright as long as she had her friends around to cheer her up.

Rose smiled. Yes. It was good to be back.


	5. Too Close For Comfort

Chapter 5 – Too Close For Comfort

Disclaimer - Harry Potter is not mine, he belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.

* * *

"Follow me Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Weasley," Longbottom ordered with a smile.

Rose happily obliged. She was definitely not in the mood to hang out with Scorpius alone in the hallway.

After dinner had finished, Rose had gone up to the head table as ordered by Longbottom and now she was following him up several flights of stairs and through winding hallways, while keeping at least a metre's distance away from Scorpius at all times.

"And... here we are," Longbottom announced stopping in front of a portrait of a white wolf and a golden Labrador retriever, both animals staring at each other curiously in the light of a crescent moon. Rose couldn't help but notice they both looked a bit lost.

"This is the entrance to the head dormitories?" Rose asked in confusion.

"Yes," Longbottom replied, while surveying the portrait as if he had never seen it before. "Now the two of you will have to come up with your own password later, but for now, the password is 'fire orchid'."

Rose stared at the painting of the wolf and the lab, the two animals now sniffing each other curiously. "Nothing happened," Rose stated blankly and Scorpius snorted next to her.

"That's because you have to say the password," Longbottom said with a chuckle. "The portrait only recognizes your voices and Professor Monroe's as a safety precaution."

Rose turned back to the portrait. "Fire orchid," she stated loudly. The animals in the portrait both suddenly perked up at the sound of her voice and with a loud creak the portrait swung open to reveal an open doorway that led to a small hallway.

"After you," Scorpius gestured towards the portrait hole and Rose gave him an unpleasant look before stepping through the doorway and walking quickly down the narrow passage. Rose then turned the corner at the end of the hallway to walk straight into a miniature version of the Gryffindor common room that was equipped with two narrow stairways, which Rose had to guess led to her and Scorpius' rooms.

Rose stepped further into the room to survey her surroundings. The walls of the room were entirely made of large grey coloured slabs of stone, which were covered by several dozen photo's of previous head boy's and girl's. On another wall, magically hanging from where the ceiling met the wall, were two large Gryffindor and Slytherin banners. Rose let her eyes drift lower only to smile at the large stone fireplace, a fire roaring away inside of it, with 2 comfy red arm chairs, a dark green couch and a large oak coffee table sitting in front of it. Rose could already imagine curling up in front of that fire to read a book once winter settled in, something she had done regularly back in the Gryffindor common room. Rose looked around the rest of the room to see two desks, each respectively in front of their own ceiling high glass window, which were situated on the wall opposite the one with the Gryffindor and Slytherin banners draped over it.

Rose walked towards the staircases and looked back behind her to stare at Longbottom. "Do these go to our rooms?"

"Yes," Longbottom replied. "Miss. Weasley your bedroom is on the left and Mr. Malfoy's yours is on the right. Both staircases are also connected to the bathroom that the two of you will be sharing for the rest of the year."

"We have to share what?" Rose questioned in alarm but Longbottom ignored her question and continued speaking.

"As the both of you are most likely aware, this year you have a lot more responsibilities that you will need to stay on top of. We will discuss these things further this weekend. But for now, I must remind the two of you that you were chosen to be head girl and boy, not only because of your excellence in academics, but because of the natural leadership qualities the two of you possess. The two of you are role models for not only younger students, but older ones as well, and I must stress that if either of you abuses your positions, Professor Monroe will not think twice before stripping you of your titles and replacing you," Longbottom explained seriously. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Scorpius replied in casual voice.

Rose nodded in agreement. She didn't need to be told twice about how monumental this was for her. Just having the words 'head girl' stamped on her resume when she got out of school would increase her odds of getting into the archaeology program she wanted at the ministry.

"Good," Longbottom replied. "As the two of you may know, you now have the ability to take points away from the students who break any rules, and you will also be in charge of planning any Hogsmeade visits, prefect rounds and any other school events. However, like I said before, we will go into detail about these things this weekend. So," Longbottom said before pausing to look at both Scorpius and Rose. "Are there any questions?"

"How do we change the password to our room?" Rose questioned in confusion.

Scorpius snorted yet again and Rose shot him a dirty look.

"All you have to do is tell the animals in the portrait that you wish to change the password," Longbottom explained. "They will listen to anything the two of you tell them to do. However, you must realize that the 2 of you must be together when you change the password, otherwise the change will not take place."

Rose couldn't help but feel depressed over the now lost idea of ever being able to lock Scorpius out of the common room for hours on end.

"Duly noted," Scorpius said with an amused look in Rose's direction that caused Rose's stomach to flutter happily at the attention.

"Is there anything else?" Longbottom inquired. Rose and Scorpius shook their heads. "All of your things will be up in your bedrooms and I hope you find the accommodations to your satisfaction." Longbottom said with a smile. "Have a good night."

Rose watched as Longbottom turned his back on both Scorpius and her and walked out of the room. Rose instantly went on the defensive. She was definitely not spending more time alone with Scorpius then what was absolutely necessary.

Rose waited until she heard the audible creak of the portrait closing over the door that led into the room before turning to face Scorpius.

"Well," Rose said with over-exaggerated enthusiasm. "I'm tired... so I'm off to bed." Pause. "Night." Rose practically sprinted out of the common room and up the stairs Longbottom had told her led to her room. Rose quickly grabbed a hold of the doorknob on the door at the top of the flight of stairs and wrenched it open.

She darted inside and quickly shut the door behind her. With her back to the door, she slid down to sit on the floor, knowing in the back of her mind that it was going to be nearly impossible to keep this up for the rest of the year.

* * *

Rose awoke with a start from yet another nightmare about a giant snake attacking the Labrador from the portrait that lead into the head dorms. No matter what the poor dog had done to try and get away, each and every time the snake had managed to sink its fangs into its neck, injecting poisonous venom into the dog in the process. And then she woke up.

Great. Just great. She was having nightmares about dog killing snakes and she was now living with a Slytherin. Rose turned her head to look at her alarm clock. 6:45 AM. Rose sighed and rubbed a hand over her sleepy face. She would have to get up soon so there really was no point in going back to bed. She rolled out of her bed and trotted over to the large wooden set of drawers that already had all of her clothes neatly folded inside of it. Rose pulled out one of the drawers and grabbed a large shirt to pull over the sports bra she wore to bed and with a yawn she walked to her door and opened it before descending down the stairs, only to stop halfway down the stairs on a landing that connected to a small hallway with the door to the bathroom at the end of it. Rose headed down the small hallway, trying to smooth down her hair, which she knew was a giant mess. She grasping the doorknob and pulling the bathroom door open, only to stop suddenly, her eyes widening in surprise.

Directly in front of her was none other than Scorpius Malfoy, dressed in nothing but a green towel wrapped around his waist; water dripping from his shaggy blonde hair and down his very naked body as he brushed his teeth.

Bloody hell! Rose couldn't help but be impressed by what she was staring at. Scorpius was lean without being too skinny, toned without looking too bulky and his pale skin glistening with a light sheen of water made him appear angelic. Just as Rose was about to throw herself at him, she managed to mentally slap herself back to reality.

Oh for Merlin's sake Rose Weasley! He's just a guy.

A very good looking guy.

Scorpius finally seemed to notice her standing in the doorway and his eyes turned to look at her.

"Good morning," Scorpius greeted, taking his toothbrush out of his mouth before talking.

"I'll say – I mean, you're up early," Rose replied awkwardly as she tried to keep her eyes away from Scorpius' body as much as possible.

"I went for a run," he replied and resumed brushing his teeth.

Of course.

Rose watched as Scorpius bent over and spat out his toothpaste into the sink before his gaze swept back in her direction.

Rose knew she had to be the colour of a tomato by now. Why the bloody hell did he have to be so bloody gorgeous? Her life would have been so much easier if he had a wonky eye or he walked with a limp, allowing her to ignore him easier. Maybe she had done something horrible in a past life and now she was being tortured with half naked blokes, she may or may not love, as some sort of divine retribution.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked. "You okay?"

Rose looked up, her attention refocusing on Scorpius' now grinning face, only to be hit with a sudden surge of realization.

That bastard! He had totally planned to run around almost bloody naked because he knew she'd probably lose her head. Well, two could play this game.

"Excuse me," Rose said curtly, trying, to the best of her ability, to ignore the appreciative purring her insides were making over what Scorpius could look like without the towel on. "If you are finished in here, I would like to take a shower."

Scorpius smirked. "I'm done," he replied, staring at her in a way that made her think she was wearing less clothing than he was, while failing to move an inch.

Rose bit her lip to try and keep her mind thinking coherent thoughts and she glared up at him. "Then can you leave or are you going to stand here and watch me while I shower."

"Now that's an idea," Scorpius chuckled.

Rose felt her face heat up considerably from both anger and Scorpius' suggestive tone. "Out!" she bellowed, pointing to the doorway that lead to his staircase before turning away from him.

"Alright, alright," Scorpius laughed. "I can take a hint." Rose sighed in relief as she listened to Scorpius' feet walk himself from the bathroom and up his stairs.

"Oh, Weasley?" Scorpius suddenly called out from the top of his set of stairs.

"What?" Rose replied through gritted teeth.

"Nice boxers," Scorpius answered.

Rose's eyes widened and she looked down in dread at her bottom half, only to gasp in embarrassment.

Rose's boxers had been a joke present from Lily for her last birthday in honour of one of their little inside jokes. While they only looked like a pair of normal red boxers in the front, all she had to do was turn around to reveal the words 'RED HOT' in giant capitalized gold lettering printed right on the top of her ass.

Rose, now more embarrassed than ever, marched angrily toward Scorpius' bathroom door and grabbed a hold of the side of it.

"Why don't you do the world a favour Malfoy and go drown yourself in the effing lake!" Rose shouted before slamming the door in front of her with an echoing bang.

* * *

"It couldn't have been that bad, Rose," Alice said soothingly.

"Well it was," Rose replied miserably, resting her head on the table in front of her. After taking a very long, very cold shower, in an attempt to calm both her temper and her raging hormones, Rose had sped to her room and changed into her school uniform before rushing down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Luckily, Nora and Alice had woken up early that morning after Sharon Grenning's magical alarm clock kept going off every five minutes since six that morning, failing to actually wake her up until Nora had picked it up and thrown it out the window.

"So he was actually just dressed in a towel when you walked into the bathroom?" Nora questioned in amusement.

Rose lifted her head to glower at her. "Yes, and I am so happy that you find this all so entertaining," Rose said sarcastically. "But I know you had something to do with it."

Nora chuckled. "Are you telling me that I told Scorpius to parade around half naked this morning, in the hopes that you would run into him when you woke up?"

Rose scowled at her friend and sat up in her seat. "No. But I still think you're the reason why he's acting all... charming."

"Alright," Alice said sternly. "I believe that is enough paranoid rambling for one day. My dad's here with our timetables, which we should get before the line up gets too long."

Rose got up from her seat and trudged towards where Professor Longbottom was standing with a box of schedules, which were levitating themselves into the hands of several Gryffindor's upon Longbottom's command.

The three girls stood at the back of the group as a horde of eager first years pushed past them.

"Okay," Nora said in an annoyed voice as she glared down at the heads of several first years. "I am not about to be pushed out of the way by a group of munchkins."

"Nora," Alice scolded. "They're just kids. Ignore them."

Nora ignored Alice instead. "Hello there, first years," Nora said loudly, causing the kids to turn around and then start to cower when they realized who was talking to them. "Alright kids, move aside. The wizarding world's very own menace to society and her friends need to get their timetables before we all graduate."

The first years instantly scuttled in opposite directions and Rose sighed as she followed Nora through the parted crowd. "You're lucky I'm in a bad mood Nora or I totally would have taken points from Gryffindor."

"For what?" Nora snorted as they all stopped in front of Professor Longbottom. "I didn't physically make them move."

"Hello girls," Longbottom said in a distracted voice, failing to notice how they had gotten to the front of the line, as he levitated 3 timetables into their hands.

Rose stared down at her timetable. This year she would be taking Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms and Herbology. It was a pretty full schedule but Rose knew she could handle it.

"Well it looks like we have double defence first thing," Alice said as she peered down at her timetable.

Nora scowled down at the piece of paper in her hands as they made their way back to their spots at the Gryffindor table. "Goody," Nora said sarcastically. "Maybe Grant will invite me over for tea after classes are finished."

"We also have double potions after lunch," Rose said looking over at Nora.

Nora seemed to brighten at the news. "Good. Something to look forward too."

"How is Potions something to look forward too?" Alice asked in confusion as they sat down.

"Contrary to popular belief," Nora replied. "I actually do enjoy classes that don't involve me sitting on my ass for hours on end, even if Stone is the one teaching the class."

Rose knew that was true. Nora wasn't the best student in their year because she scared the professor's into giving her excellent grades. She was just legitimately very intelligent when it came to understanding all things magic. It did bother Rose quite a bit that she had to study for hours in order to get the grades that she had and all Nora had to do was read something once before it was stored forever inside her head, but she had learned to not dwell on that fact too much. However, Rose knew that Nora also wanted to talk to Scorpius. Something Rose was not too pleased about.

* * *

Once the guys had finally managed to drag themselves from bed and everyone had eaten breakfast, they began their journey through the castle towards their Defence Against the Dark Arts class on the 3rd floor.

"What do you think he's going to be like?" David asked.

"Grant?" Andy replied.

"Ya," David answered. "He was an auror after all. Maybe he'll be like Monroe."

"I think it all depends on why he isn't an auror anymore," Al said his arm slung around Nora's shoulders. "We all know that Monroe didn't leave the ministry because she wanted to take a vacation and there's still the chance that he's still working for the ministry."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that the ministry is paranoid enough to make sure a Hogwarts professor watches Nora's every move. Monroe would never hire him."

"But what if Monroe didn't have a choice?" Andy inquired, his eyebrows raised in question.

"Then Monroe would probably have just kept teaching the class herself," Rose countered. "And the ministry knows better. We all know what happened the last time the ministry interfered at Hogwarts and Sampson is definitely not that stupid."

Rose's commanding tone quickly ended the conversation about Professor Grant and the rest of the walk to their first defence lesson of the year had been occupied by lighter topics of conversation. Upon arriving at the defence classroom, Rose walked into the room; her friends following behind her. Rose grabbed a seat at a table in the middle of the room and Nora slid into the seat beside her; while Andy and Al took the desk in front of them and David and Alice took the seats directly behind her.

The room was filled with a dull hum of excitement over what Professor Grant was going to be like and how the lesson would go. Rose peered around the room, her gaze stopping when she saw Scorpius sitting silently beside one of his Slytherin friends on the far side of the room with his eyes closed. Rose blushed at the memory of their encounter that morning and she turned her gaze towards where Zabini was sitting in front of him in a slight hunched position, as she whispered something to a haughty looking blonde Slytherin named Marina Kozlova.

Zabini's eyes suddenly flicked in Rose's direction and her gaze hardened considerably, causing Marina to turn and glare at Rose as well.

Rose shot them both dirty looks before looking away from them with a loud huff. You would think, with the way Zabini was acting, Rose was having a very public affair with Scorpius, when in reality Rose had done absolutely nothing with him. And she had definitely had a few chances to change that.

"What's wrong with you?" Nora whispered into her ear.

"Nothing," Rose grumbled.

It did not take long for the rest of the class to trickle into the room and grab their seats and as the last student dashed into the room, panting as he took the seat his friend had saved for him, Professor Grant strolled into the room with a bright smile on his face.

Rose's first thought upon seeing Professor Grant was one of horror. The scar on his face was worse that she had thought it had been. It was puckered in a way that made Rose realize that he had received it quite recently and had only just healed. What was even worse was the fact that when he smiled, the scar only seemed to pull on itself, causing Rose to wince. And that wasn't even the only scar he had. Rose could see another white scar on the side of his neck and his rolled up sleeves revealed several other minor or major scars in parallel groups that made Rose realize, with a sickening feeling, exactly what had caused them. Claws. Very sharp claws. And by the sheer number of furrowed lines on his forearms, Rose could guess that Grant had fought with whatever had attacked him.

"Good morning everyone," Grant declared in a cheery voice as he leaned on the teacher's desk at the front of the room. Everyone just stared at him with wide eyes.

Rose couldn't help but notice how close the scar on his face was to both of his bright blue eyes and how close he had obviously come to losing one of them. What the bloody hell happened to this bloke?

Grant didn't seem to notice the looks of horrified awe his new students were giving him because he continued to smile brightly. "My name is Alden Grant and, this year, I'm going to be doing my best to teach you everything I know about defending yourselves against the dark arts. Now will everyone please get out their wands so we can get started?"

Rose leaned over and grabbed her wand from her bag, placing it on her desk, while shooting Alice and David a furtive look, which they returned with wide-eyes.

"I've gone over what you've all learned in the last six years and I have come to the conclusion that Professor Monroe was very thorough when it came to teaching you all everything you really need to know. However, this means it is going to be my job to teach you bits of magic that you may never have to use... but are still valuable to know none the less. Especially for those who want to take up more dangerous careers once you graduate."

Rose gave Nora a sideways glance and she grinned back at her. It was common knowledge that Nora wanted to become an auror.

"But for now," Grant said, still smiling, scar still twisting. "I would like you all to partner up so I can see how well your duelling skills are."

A couple people groaned unhappily at the news and Nora chuckled before looking over at Rose. "Come on partner," she said. "I want to show our wonderful new professor what I can do."

Rose scowled. Great. This was definitely going to leave a bruise.

* * *

After two long periods of defence, a short introductory period of Ancient Runes and Rose's only free period of the day, which she had spent reviewing all she knew about defence against the dark arts because Grant had declared that they would be having a review test on Wednesday.

Lunch was now under way and the entire Great Hall was once again filled with the buzz of students discussing how their new classes had gone that morning.

"I think you're right, Rose," Alice said suddenly.

"About what?" Rose asked in confusion.

"About how Grant is only here to teach us defence. Monroe would never allow him to do anything but that," Alice answered.

"I don't know," David said with a chuckle. "He was watching Nora for most of the lesson."

"He was probably just afraid Nora was going to kill me," Rose said with a laugh. "I fell on my ass enough times that it's going to hurt to sit down for the next couple of days."

Nora grinned apologetically before turning to look at Al, who's head was buried in that day's edition of the Daily Prophet. "Anything exciting happening at the ministry, Al?" Nora asked.

"Not really. The biggest story of the day seems to be that Sampson has poured more money into the Obliviator's budget, which is no surprise with how there are more magic related sightings being reported by muggles than ever before- at least during times of peace."

"I'm guessing the ministry's worried about it," Nora said.

"Of course they are. Everyone is," Al replied adamantly. "The ministry knows that the second war changed the balance of power in the wizarding world. There are virtually no purebloods left since most of them were killed during the last 2 wars and the amount of muggleborn witches and wizards has sky-rocketed over the past fifty years, which is making it very hard to keep our world a secret from muggles."

"Evolution is a bitch," Nora said cryptically as she bit into an apple.

Rose bit her lip anxiously. She could barely imagine the chaos the world would be plunged into if every muggle knew about the wizarding world and magic in general.

"Well, hopefully, that won't be happening anytime soon," Andy said as he gulped down some food. "So for now, in order to entertain ourselves, I say we play 'what clawed our professor to shreds' to pass the time. I bet 5 galleons that it was a chimera."

"A chimera?" Rose snorted in disbelief.

Al grinned. "I'm going to raise those stakes mate. I bet 5 galleons that it was a griffin." Al turned to look over at David. "What do you think Dave? Griffin or chimera?"

"Neither," Dave replied as he scooped 5 galleons from his pocket and onto the table. "It was probably just a muggle animal. You know... a bear or something."

Alice giggled. "I bet 5 more galleons that it was a hippogriff. They're a lot more common than a chimera."

Andy shot Alice a look of amusement before turning to look at Nora. "What about you Nora?"

"Manticore," Nora said simply and everyone made noises of appreciation over her guess.

"Good one, Wilson," Andy said before turning to look at Rose. "Rosie?"

"I am not betting money on what obviously ended Professor Grant's career as an auror. That is just cruel," Rose replied with a frown.

"Oh come on, Rose," David said. "We'll keep the bet quiet. What do you have to lose?"

"Five galleons," Rose shot back.

"Oh I see how it is," Andy replied, faking an expression of hurt. "Now that you're head girl, you can't bear to take part in common activities like gambling with your best friends. I'm hurt, Rose. Really I am."

Rose rolled her eyes at her friend. "Fine," she said with a sigh. "I will add 5 galleons to the pot on the bet that Grant was attacked by a werewolf.

"Really?" Alice said in surprise. "You think Professor Grant is a werewolf?"

"I didn't say that," Rose replied. "Besides, it's just a guess."

"It's a pretty good guess," Al replied. "It's not like Hogwarts hasn't hired a werewolf before."

"Alright," Andy announced as he held up a napkin with all of their guesses written on it. "Thirty galleons will go to whoever can prove what nasty beastie tried to dice up our new professor. If we discover that none of our guesses attacked Grant, or we just never find out, we will all get out individual donations back from the pot."

"Anything else, Andy?" Nora said mockingly. "Will we need to get Grant's confession in writing or is a taped recording good enough?"

Andy glared at her.

* * *

"I wish my father hadn't made me take NEWT potions," David complained. "I could be outside with Alice and Andy training Nargles in Care of Magical Creatures but no, I have to stay inside the bloody dungeons for two whole periods."

"Oh stop whining, Dave," Rose snapped. "You did fine in Potions last year and I'll even be your partner this year."

"I heard that Stone is assigning partners this time around," Al said. "He doesn't want the less talented students mooching off of their more talented partners."

Dave gave Al a look of alarm. "I'm doomed. I don't even remember how I got an E on my exams last year."

"You're not that bad, Dave," Nora said comfortingly as she pushed open the doors to the dungeons. "And we will study together just like last year."

Dave just nodded as he ducked his head slightly to walk through the doorway. Rose followed behind him and took the seat next to him and Nora and Al took their seats at the desk beside Rose's. Once settled in her seat, Rose's gaze swept around the room to see who else was in the class this year, only to stop when she saw Scorpius sitting with Zabini and not looking pleased about it. Rose felt a smile creep onto her face over his displeasure but she quickly rearranged her features before anyone could notice.

Stone was already in the room, head bent over a scroll of parchment he was studying with a small smile, before looking up to stare at his students.

"Now that everyone has finally arrived," Stone said glancing over in Rose's direction. "I can tell you all who you will be working with for the rest of the year."

Everyone in the room let out shocked gasps and David just groaned mournfully.

Stone smiled slightly at the class' reaction and put on a pair of reading glasses, before lifting the piece of parchment he had been scribbling on to his face. "I will inform you all know that I will not be making any changes to the pairs I have created. You can all whine and complain as much as you like, but my decision is final."

Rose easily picked up the bitterness in the Potions Master's voice. Apparently Carson Stone now knew that he would never do more that teach adolescent's potions, who then would mostly all go on to forget 90% of what he had tried to teach them. It wasn't the same for every professor, but Stone knew he was no one's favourite.

Every person in the room just muttered angry words under their breath as Stone cleared his throat and began to read. "Albus Potter, Anwar Knight."

Rose looked over at Al as he slumped in his seat, his gaze directed at the caramel skinned Slytherin who was staring back at Al with disdain.

"Edward Cahill, Gordon Himmelman. David Tennet, Marina Kozlova."

David let out a moan of displeasure as Rose heard a shrill voice exclaim, 'I have to work with him!'

"Gary Wayland, Kia Montgomery. Nora Wilson, Tatiana Zabini."

"What?" Zabini and Nora chorused loudly before giving each other matching looks of revulsion.

Rose let out a loud snort of amusement. Was Stone off his rocker? If Nora and Zabini stayed partners for longer than a week, someone was going to get severely injured and Rose's money was on Zabini one day showing up in a full body cast.

"Rose Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy."

All the amusement from her friend's misfortune quickly vanished in a matter of seconds. She stared wide-eyed at Stone, silently praying that he would declare that he had just made a mistake and she was partnered with someone else. But he never did. Rose stared down at her desk, feeling several sets of eyes on her back. This could not be happening. It was like some unknown force was pushing Scorpius and her together every chance it could get. Rose didn't need to be gifted in the art of divination to know that she was going to be a nervous wreck by the end of the week and maybe even worse than that if Scorpius kept trotting around in nothing but a bloody towel every morning.

Rose chanced a look in Malfoy's direction, only to instantly regret doing so because his eyes seemed to be glued to her, causing her to blush profusely.

Why, of all the people that she had to fall for, did it have to be him? Why couldn't it have been an average bloke who hadn't treated her like dirt for most of the time they had known each other? She still remembered every one of his insults, from fifth year especially. He had literally been able to find anything to make fun of her for. Her hair, her freckles, how much she loved school, her general lack of experience with the opposite sex, even the fact that her front teeth were slightly larger than the rest of the teeth in her mouth, and she had hated him for it. So why was she now blushing like an idiot when he so much as looked at her? Ugh, it was pathetic.

Without realizing it, Rose's look of embarrassment had been wiped away and replaced with a death glare sent in Scorpius' direction. Scorpius seemed surprised by her reaction and he turned his gaze away from her while several people gave her wary glances. They knew for a fact that it was best to steer clear of Rose Weasley when she was angry and, boy was she angry.

"Will everyone please join up with their assigned partners," Stone ordered. "Today, you and your partner's will be creating a Hate Potion. All the instructions are in your textbook and you will be handing in your finished product at the end of the class."

Rose wasn't moving. She didn't care if Mr. Perfect had to mess up his flawless hair on the walk over because there was no way in hell she was getting up to go to him. She was furious and mostly at herself. David seemed to get the message as he stood up from his seat and began to walk over to where Marina was sitting, shooting her an anxious look over his shoulder.

"Would you stop glaring like that," Nora suddenly whispered beside her as Zabini slid into the seat Al had once been in. "You look like you're about to murder someone."

Rose shot Nora an icy look before fixing her gaze on the back of Eddie Cahill's head. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Scorpius rising from his seat, but she forced herself to keep her eyes away from him.

As Rose fumed, Scorpius walked over to where she was sitting and he squeezed in behind the chair she was sitting in to get to the empty chair beside her, never once so much as brushing a single hair on her body. Rose mentally smirked. Even Scorpius Malfoy knew when it was best to leave her alone, since he had often been on the receiving end of many of her mental breakdowns. He slid into the seat next to her and Rose's eyes peered down at how close he was to her. Now that wouldn't do. Rose, very obviously, lifted her chair slightly up, moved herself and her chair as far away from Scorpius as possible and sat her chair down with a loud thud.

Rose turned her head, her chin held high, and shot Scorpius a warning look. Scorpius just stared back at her and she watched his normal vacant expression settle across his features. Rose felt her insides breathe a sigh of relief. This was the Scorpius she was safest around. As long as he stayed detached, Rose could ignore him, and she planned on keeping him that way.

Rose pulled open her textbook to the right page and left it open on the desk. "I'll get all the ingredients we need," Rose said a clear edge to her voice. "Then I can do all the measuring and you can do the mixing. Are you good with that?" It was a challenge. Rose continued to stare at him, pouring every ounce of frustration and fury in her body in to that look, while silently daring him to request something different.

Scorpius stared back at her, his stare blank. "That's fine," he replied, his voice void of any meaningful emotion.

"Good," Rose replied with a snap and she got up from her seat, ignoring the surprised looks on several people's faces.

* * *

A/N- So this chapter had a little bit of everything. But I definitely enjoy irrational Rose. She really has no idea what she's doing and now she's making poor Scorpius upset. I'll try to update as quickly as possible and I am enjoying the love from everyone. You all make my day. Please read and review! Toodles!


	6. A Clear Warning

Chapter 6 – A Clear Warning

Disclaimer - Harry Potter is not mine, no matter how many times I pray that that changes.

* * *

"You're doing it wrong," Zabini sneered.

Nora gritted her teeth and turned to look at her partner; a forced smile stretched across her face. "Can I ask you a question?"

Zabini's gaze darkened. "No."

Nora ignored her and continued. "Which one of us do you think got the O on her potions exam last year?"

Zabini rolled her eyes and shot Nora a withering look. "You did I'm guessing."

"Correct," Nora said with a sugary sweet smile. "So why don't you let me do the thinking from now on, okay."

Zabini huffed loudly and turned her attention on a clump of roots that she had been dicing before she had bothered Nora. Of all the people in the entire class, Stone had to put her with Zabini. A rock would have been more useful.

She peered into her cauldron and stared down at the cloudy grey liquid bubbling inside of it. Hate potions were the exact opposite of love potions and if a person were to drink a hate potion they would be able to see every little flaw of the person it was directed towards. Witch Weekly recommended that people should take them when trying to get over an ex-boyfriend.

Nora couldn't help but think how fitting it was that they were brewing up a potion that made you hate a person as she glanced over at Rose and Scorpius.

Nora let out an exasperated sigh as she watched Rose shift her body away from Scorpius as he reached for an ingredient near her hand. Rose was practically hanging off of the edge of her seat in what looked to be an attempt to get as far away from Scorpius as possible. Scorpius was pretending not to notice, his face the definition of cool and detached, but Nora knew he was upset over how Rose was acting.

Scorpius reached out to grab another ingredient for their potion, accidentally brushing Rose's arm in the process. Rose's arms shot away from Scorpius so fast that Nora barely registered it was moving and she couldn't help but glare at the red-head as she gave Scorpius a wild look.

Nora turned away, knowing full well that if she continued watching, she'd throw something very hard at Rose's head.

"It's a pity isn't it," Zabini said suddenly. Nora turned her head and raised an eyebrow in question.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

A small secretive smile graced Zabini's lips. "I'm talking about how our highly esteemed head boy and girl aren't getting along very well."

"And why do you care?" Nora questioned dryly.

"I care because Scorpius seems to be hurting because of it. Weasley is acting rather horrible towards him," Zabini replied, her smile now a smirk.

What the hell was she so pleased about? It wasn't like she had a hand in why Rose was acting like such an idiot. Nora stared at Zabini, eyes narrowed, a horrible feeling starting to settle in her gut.

Or had she?

Nora's eyes widened. "What did you do?" she hissed dangerously

Zabini continued to smirk. "I didn't do anything."

Nora bristled at her answer. "Alright. If you want to play this game, I'll happily play along with you. We both know what you were up to this summer, or on top of in your case," Nora said in a low voice and Zabini shot her an icy glare. "But Scorpius is far too invested in his family too toss you to the curb... at least for now."

Zabini instantly caught the threatening tone to Nora's voice. "Scorpius would never do anything to disappoint his family," Zabini snapped.

Nora leaned in closer to Zabini. "That was before he became friends with me," she replied with a broad grin. "I've been wearing him down you see, doing a little thinking as well, because I cannot, for the life of me, understand why you're holding on to a guy who doesn't love you so badly." Nora paused and leaned in close to Zabini so that her mouth was by her ear. "I'm going to find out what you're up to, Zabini," Nora said, her voice a whisper. "That much I can promise you."

Nora leaned back with a smile to see Zabini giving her a look that could make puppies cry. "The ministry has your wings clipped, Wilson," Zabini spat. "There is nothing you can find out without that pretty little head of yours."

Nora gave her a cold look. "I don't need to use my abilities to figure out the truth Zabini... and you know it."

* * *

"Do you know what's wrong with, Rose?" Al asked.

With a flick of her wand, Nora transformed the large rat in front of her into an ornate golden alarm clock that instantly began to buzz.

"Oh well done, Ms. Wilson," Gale said proudly from the front of the room. "Five points to Gryffindor."

Nora cast a quick silencing charm on the clock and looked at Al. "What do you think?" Nora said turning her head to look at Scorpius, who still remained subdued from their potions class.

"Malfoy," Al said with a sigh. "I thought he looked like he usually does."

Nora looked over at where Rose was sitting with Alice, who was trying to get Rose to open up about what happened during her potion's lesson; however the dark look on Rose's face easily told Nora that Alice wasn't going to get a thing out of her.

"Ugh," Nora said in exasperation. "This is all so bloody frustrating. I could have all the answers I need to fix this catastrophe of a love triangle between Zabini, Scorpius and Rose, in a good 15 minutes but now I have to be on my best behaviour so that the ministry of magic can sleep at night. I swear, when I find out who leaked my secret to the Prophet, he or she is going to wish until the day they die that they had kept their mouths shut."

Al reached out and grabbed one of her hands, wrapping it protectively in both of his. "Don't worry about that. Just concentrate on school or quidditch. You don't want to go stressing yourself out."

Nora sighed wearily. "You're right, as usual, but do you mind if I concentrate on you a bit more than everything else?"

Al chuckled as he ran one of his thumbs across her knuckles. "Believe me, I don't mind."

Nora laughed. "Didn't think you would. Now get to work. This is transfiguration, not designated time to flirt with your girlfriend."

Al let go of her hand and focused on the sleeping rat in front of him before waving his wand and muttering an incantation. With a slight pop the rat transformed into a very fuzzy looking toaster.

Nora snorted. "Nice one."

Al shoved her lightly. "Ha ha, chuckles," he said dryly and he waved his wand, changing the furry toaster back to into a rat. "So what's your plan for Zabini?" Al asked.

Nora frowned. She had already told Al about the conversation she had had with Zabini during potions. "I have no idea... but I do know she said something to Rose. Now I just need to find out what and we'll all be set."

"I don't think it will be that easy," Al laughed quietly.

"A girl can dream," Nora said with a sigh.

A knock on the door behind her caused both Nora and Al to turn around, along with the rest of the class, to stare at the student in the door way.

Gale shuffled towards the boy and gave him a smile. "Can I help you young man?"

"Professor Monroe wants Nora Wilson to meet her in her office once classes are finished," the boy said quickly. "At least that's what she told me to say."

Gale turned his head to look at Nora. "Are you available after class, Miss. Wilson?"

Nora had expected that she'd be visiting Monroe some time soon. They did have a few things to go over. "I'll be there."

* * *

Nora stood outside Monroe's office, staring at the large stone griffin in front of her with a scowl on her face. How was she supposed to meet with Monroe if she had no idea what the password was?

"Hello, Miss. Wilson," Monroe suddenly greeted from behind Nora and she wheeled around to stare at the headmistress. "I am sorry that I arrived so late. I had to send an owl to the ministry."

"Don't worry about it," Nora replied. "I was starting to think that you were expecting me to guess what the password was myself."

Monroe chuckled at her comment. "We'd be out here all night if that were true," Monroe replied as she walked past Nora and looked up at the statue that guarded the entrance to her office. "Tea cozy," Monroe stated clearly and the griffin statue suddenly sprang to life, moving its large stone body to reveal an old stone staircase that spiralled upwards. Monroe stepped forward onto the stairs and began to climb and Nora followed behind her.

Once inside Monroe's actual office, Nora couldn't help but notice a few new changes to the room. There was now a picture of McGonagall taking a nap in a large red armchair hanging on the wall amongst other headmasters and headmistresses from the past. The room also seemed to be lit up more by candle light then the light from outside, making everything in the room appear softer and more inviting.

Monroe glided over to the navy blue armchair behind the wooden desk at the back of the room and Nora stepped forward and sat in one of the chairs in front of it.

Monroe stared at her for a second, as if scrutinizing her for any imperfections or changes, before speaking. "How have you been, Nora?"

When it was the two of them, Monroe often lost some of the formal attitude that came along with being someone's superior, but she would never tell Nora anything about anyone else other than herself. Monroe had always been serious about her job and now that she was headmistress, Nora had a feeling she was being more serious than ever.

"I'm fine," Nora replied. It was true. She was absolutely fine. But definitely not good, or great, or effing amazing. People used the word fine when things were alright, but they were also aware that their lives could easily get a lot worse without much warning.

Monroe's eyes narrowed slightly, before lacing her fingers together and placing them on her desk. "You haven't been using your telepathy?"

"Not unless I can't help it," Nora replied honestly. "In the morning's it's harder to block people out."

Monroe nodded her head, accepting her answer. "I thought that that may occur. Feel free to let it happen if you like. Just do not make a habit out of listening in on other people's minds longer than you have to."

"Why? I'm not allowed to anymore," Nora questioned in confusion.

"You are still allowed to use telekinesis discreetly but the ministry restricting your use of telepathy worries me," Monroe explained. "For all we know, not using your abilities could have no affect on you at all or it may harm you."

Nora bit her lip anxiously as she began to understand what Monroe was talking about. "You're afraid that if I don't use my abilities often enough, all of the extra energy inside my head is going to build up until it pops, like a balloon with too much air in it."

Monroe nodded her head grimly. "I have been trying to convince Robert and other influential members of the ministry that it would be in everyone's best interest to give you a period of time to exercise your mind at least once a week, but they're afraid you'll get carried away," Monroe explained with a hint of frustration.

"Like a kid at the candy store," Nora muttered.

Monroe gave her an apologetic look. "I must stress, Nor,a that Robert Sampson is not as opposed to you as you may think, but others are."

"So he's being influenced by what other people think," Nora replied angrily. "Can't he grow a pair and run the country on his own."

"Making the right decisions is much harder when you have people to please, Nora," Monroe said seriously.

"Brilliant," Nora said, slumping into her chair. "I'm screwed."

"You will be fine as long as you stay out of trouble," Monroe replied sternly, "which means I would like you to stay away from anything that may cause you too much stress and to tell me whenever you are having issues with anything."

"I can look after myself," Nora replied stubbornly.

Monroe gave her a hard look. "You must tell me when you think your powers are changing in any way," Monroe insisted. "If so, I may be able to convince Robert that I must continue to coach you."

Nora looked at Monroe and she knew her professor was being sincere. She was worried about her and she was right to be. Her telepathy had already started to evolve and it had gone into effect the night Darius had fallen off of the astronomy tower to his death and only Nora and Scorpius knew that she had had a hand in it.

Nora remembered the crazed expression on Darius' face as he fought with the memories inside of his head. The memories she had purposefully put in there to incapacitate him and it had worked. Just better than she thought it would.

Nora had yet to use that ability again, even when Scorpius had offered to be her guinea pig, but now that she knew exactly how deadly she could be, she had flat out refused to ever try it again.

Nora looked back at Monroe. She had a feeling that her professor knew she had not told her the entire truth about what happened the night Darius died but she had no proof to say otherwise. And that was what everyone was so afraid of. Nora knew she could kill anyone she wanted at any time and the ministry would never find any evidence that she had been the killer, let alone at the scene of the crime. She was the perfect weapon and Nora knew that the ministry wasn't just scared of her.

"Nora?" Monroe asked snapping her out of her reverie.

Nora stared at her professor before replying. "Or Sampson could become even more freaked out and I could be locked away in a padded cell for the rest of my life. I am not going to promise to tell you everything professor. In no way am I ready to honour that agreement right now," she said seriously.

Monroe's eyes flashed as she caught the slight hint in Nora's statement. She hadn't confirmed or denied that her abilities were evolving but Monroe wasn't stupid and neither was Nora. If she admitted anything now, she'd be in a shit load of trouble, and Nora was not in the mood to deal with that at the moment.

"Nora," Monroe said her voice a warning.

Nora stood up from her seat, getting ready to leave, and stared directly into Monroe's eyes. "What professor?"

Monroe gave her a hard look and then sighed. Nora didn't want to keep things from Monroe, she really did trust her, but Nora knew she would have to tell the ministry anything Nora told her, something she wasn't about to let happen willingly.

"Please remember to do the calming exercises I taught you last year at least once a week and I've ordered the house elves in the kitchens to give you herbal tea every night, which you will drink," Monroe ordered.

Nora gave her professor a small smile. "Sure thing, professor."

* * *

"Alright, will everyone who is trying out for the beater position line up to my left and everyone who is trying out for the keeper position, to my right," Al called out, as he straightened the quidditch captain badge pinned to his uniform.

Nora, who was standing off to the side with the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team, stared at the mass of students who had come out to try out for the team early that Saturday morning.

"Some of the kids trying out for the beater position are a bit small," Greyson said with a yawn and Nora snorted as she looked up at Dave, who's almost 6'4" frame towered over her.

"Ya, most of them are about half of your size Dave," Nora chuckled and Dave blushed slightly.

Lily sighed. "We all know that group of giggling girls in the back are just here to stare at the guys," Lily said disdainfully.

"Really," Greyson said with a mischievous grin before running his hand through his wavy hair. "Maybe I should grant their wishes and more."

Lily rolled her eyes and Greyson gave her a wink before sauntering over to the group of girl's, whose eyes all lit up when they saw him approaching.

"He's such a pig," Lily said in disgust.

"You're about the only one who thinks that Lil," Nora said cheekily and Lily shot her a glare before stomping off to stand beside her brother.

"How do you think he does it?" Dave said in awe as he watched Greyson lean in and whisper something in a pretty blonde girl's ear, causing her to blush profusely and all the other girls around her to stare at their friend enviously.

"Charms them until he turns them into puddles of goo? I think they're all practice for the day he's finally able to do it to Lily," Nora said with a smile and David let out a laugh of amusement.

"Alright, we will be doing the keeper try outs first," Al declared. "Nora, Lily and Greyson will run a few keeper drills with all of you and whoever is able to stop the most goals out of five and show the right amount of skill will be joining the team at the end of the day."

Nora strode forward to stand beside Al, Dave following behind her. Greyson, having heard Al's order, was bidding several farewells to the group of girls he'd been charming and Nora couldn't help but notice the dark look on Lily's face. Nora grinned as she turned to face all the Gryffindor's who wanted to become one of the newest members of the team.

"I'm going to tell you all now," Al said seriously, "that Nora, Lily and Greyson will not go easy on all of you, so if you would like to rethink trying out, now is the time to leave."

Several kids looked at each other and then at Nora, who was still grinning at them. A few muttered oaths were exchanged between friends before a few people stepped out of line and walked away, heads hung in shame.

"The idea isn't to scare them too much, Captain Al," Lily whispered to her brother and he gave her a severe look.

"I was thinning the group out a bit," Al explained. "There are way too many people here."

"Half of them are just girls waiting to see Dave flex his muscles," Nora added teasingly as she caught two girls staring at Dave longingly.

"What?" Dave exclaimed face flushing as he cast a nervous glance at the group of girls Greyson was walking away from.

Nora just smiled up at him before mounting her broom along with Lily and speeding up into the air, Greyson joining them soon after.

"I hope Hugh doesn't choke today," Lily said. "I have money riding on him becoming our newest keeper."

Nora stared down at the ground as the first person in line mounted their broom and soared towards the goal posts, wobbling the entire way.

Nora sighed. "From what I remember about Hugo's skills, I'd say he has a pretty good chance of making it."

For the next hour Nora spent most of her time flying around the pitch and scoring most of the goals she had attempted to make and trying to keep Lily from beating Greyson over the head, since he wouldn't stop commenting on how good her ass looked in the pants she was wearing.

She couldn't help but sigh in relief once the keeper try outs were done and Hugo had clearly come out on top, having blocked all of the quaffles thrown at him while everyone else had not fared as well.

"Good job, Hugh," Greyson congratulated as he mock punched his friend in the shoulder. "Every girl will be tripping over themselves to talk to you now."

Hugo snorted but he couldn't help but give his friend a pleased grin.

Nora ruffled his hair affectionately before turning her attention on the beater try outs, which were already well under way.

Dave, who was in charge of judging who would be best suited to be his new partner, was showing a third year how to best hold a beater's bat while giving the kid an encouraging smile.

"Dave is really the best at these kinds of things. He's always so patient with the younger kids," Lily said.

"And nice," Greyson said with a laugh. "All the girls are drooling over the idea of him actually touching them while he gives them all private lessons and he doesn't even notice a thing."

"Alice should love that," Hugo chuckled.

Nora watched as David mounted his broom and soared into the air while Al released a bludger from the case it was stored in. The bludger, once free, quickly rocketed upwards and Dave sped after it, pulled back the arm holding his bat and when he was close enough, he took a quick look at the targets that had been set up in the air before swinging his arm and hitting the bludger so hard that the sound from the impact echoed around the pitch. The bludger then sped towards one of the targets and destroyed it on impact.

Nora grinned. On the ground, David was everyone's favourite giant teddy bear but in the air, he was a beast.

A chorus of oh's broke out among the crowd and several boys mounted their brooms, eager to start hitting and breaking things immediately.

After another hour, Al had made the decision to pick Jamie Ferguson, a 4th year who was rather tall for his age and could fly like he was a bird. His hits weren't as accurate as Al would have liked but Dave had promised that he could easily fix that with some one on one coaching.

Once tryouts were officially over, everyone who had been watching in the stands had come down to join the people gathered on the pitch to congratulate Jamie and Hugo. Among them were Andy, Alice and Rose. Andy was attempting to give Jamie tips on how to improve his form, Alice was glaring at the girl's who kept batting their eyelashes at Dave and Rose was hugging her brother, embarrassing him profusely.

Nora frowned as she watched Rose. She still wasn't happy with her friend. The entire first week of school Rose had avoided Scorpius like the bubonic plague, while Scorpius had retreated back into his protective shell. However, Nora was hoping that things would change when the two of them had their mandatory head meeting tonight with Longbottom, who would not be pleased if they had not discussed a single thing he had told them to talk about.

Nora looked up at the stands, searching the rows of seats until she saw a figure sitting by himself, while staring down at the people converged on the pitch.

Nora turned and looked at Al. "If you need me, I'll be talking to Scorpius up in the stands," Nora said.

Al looked up at the stands and caught sight of Scorpius. He frowned slightly at the sight of him, for what reason Nora wasn't sure, but he nodded to show he understood.

Nora mounted her broom and kicked off from the ground, flying at an easy pace up to where Scorpius was sitting.

"Enjoy the show?" Nora asked with a smile as she carefully hopped off her broom and onto the bench Scorpius was sitting on.

"Your new beater is definitely not as good as the Weasley who had the position last year."

"That was Fred and Dave will have him playing like a pro in time for our first game, so don't you worry," Nora replied.

"Tennet could become a pro after we graduate. He really is good enough," Scorpius admitted.

Nora settled into the seat next to Scorpius and turned to face him. "I don't think he's interested, but we'll see. So, how are you? Any change with Rose?" Nora questioned, changing the subject of the conversation to one she preferred.

"If you count her actually looking at me without flinching, then sure," Scorpius replied miserably.

"Great," Nora said sarcastically. "And I still have no idea what Zabini did to turn Rose into a paranoid freak."

"Tatiana is never going to tell anyone a thing," Scorpius replied. "She's stubborn."

"She's more of a bitch in my books," Nora admitted causing Scorpius to laugh.

She smiled. "There we go. Do that during your head meeting with Rose and she'll be yours."

Scorpius became sullen once more. "I doubt that. We have to talk to Longbottom tonight and she has yet to even mention talking about what we're supposed to do."

Nora frowned. "Then corner her you idiot. Even Rose isn't stubborn enough to not do what she was told to do just because she's ignoring someone."

"You know I'm not good at that kind of thing," Scorpius admitted.

"So start practicing," Nora exclaimed. "Tell her that you need to do your work because you're not covering her ass and pretend like what she's doing doesn't bother you. Hell, make out with Zabini in front of her. That should really wake her up."

"You want me to make her jealous?" Scorpius questioned in confusion.

"Sure," Nora said eagerly. "We played the 'be yourself' card too early. It freaked her out to see you acting like a normal human being."

Scorpius scowled but ignored her comment. "Do you really think making her jealous will work?"

"I have no idea. But it's worth a try," Nora said with a shrug.

Scorpius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. I'll try to make her jealous, but I have a feeling that I am going to regret this."

* * *

A/N- Soooo, this chapter had a whole bunch of everything in it as well. This is the first chapter that is all from Nora's POV but this story won't be having a lot of that since it will be mainly from Rose's POV. Anyway, so we had some quidditch, Nora giving warnings to everyone's favourite evil bitch, Tatiana Zabini and getting warning's. Basically a whole lot of fun. Please read and review. Ciao!


	7. Going From Bad To Worse

Chapter 7- Going From Bad to Worse

Disclaimer- Harry Potter and the wizarding world do not belong to me, no matter how much I hope and pray.

* * *

Guilt had to be one of the most annoying emotions created to plague the human race.

Well at least Rose thought so.

Even while trying to do her homework, she felt guilt's presence gnawing at the back of her mind, causing her stomach to twist uncomfortably.

And what was she so guilty about? Treating Scorpius Malfoy badly.

Rose gritted her teeth at the thought. She just couldn't win. If she avoided him, they'd somehow be forced together. If she was nice to him, he would get far too close and if she treated him badly, she actually felt horrible about it afterwards.

_Maybe you should apologize then._

Apologize? Rose snorted and threw her quill onto her half finished notes, officially giving up on completing them. She could already imagine how well apologizing would go. 'Hey Scorpius, sorry I've been treating you like a pariah for absolutely no reason. Forgive me?'

Rose let out a sigh at the thought. Why couldn't she have been more like Zabini? She definitely never felt bad about treating people like scum or at least she didn't show it.

_But you aren't like her, so just apologize._

Rose's face screwed up unpleasantly as she got up from her seat and grabbed her notes, savagely stuffing them into her bag. While she really didn't want to apologize, she knew it was a good idea. Scorpius and her were supposed to have their first head meeting with Longbottom in a matter of hours and she definitely hadn't completed all the tasks the two of them had been given.

"There you are Weasley; I've been looking all over for you."

Rose stiffened at the sound of Scorpius' voice. Did she have a bloody homing device on her, because this was really getting ridiculous. She only had to think about Scorpius and he would show up, even when it wasn't very convenient. Rose turned around slowly to face him, making sure that her facial expression was as blank as she could possibly make it, only to become confused by what she was seeing.

"Why are you wet?" Rose questioned, all traces of indifference lost. Scorpius was sopping wet and she would have thought he had just gotten out of the shower if it wasn't for the fact that his clothes were just as soaked as he was.

"It's raining outside," Scorpius replied distractedly. "We need to do our work for the meeting tonight."

Rose blinked in surprise. Well that was quick to the point. "Er... ya. I was coming to find you myself."

"Well, you found me," Scorpius said sharply and he sat himself down in the seat next to the one she had just been in herself. Rose cringed slightly at his tone but didn't say anything about it. She did deserve it after all.

"I was coming to find you, so I could talk to you," Rose offered, trying to keep her tone light.

"I was hoping that we could wrap this up quickly," Scorpius replied, not even bothering to look at her. "I need to go meet someone before our meeting with Longbottom and I also need to change before then."

Rose gave him a dark look. She had to hand it to Scorpius; he made it really easy to hate him. "Fine. When does your quidditch team plan on practicing?" Rose asked sitting back in the seat she had just vacated.

For the next half hour, Scorpius and Rose created a schedule for prefect rounds that they both silently hoped would be satisfactory for everyone. They also plotted out the Hogsmeade visits for the year with quick efficiency.

But with efficiency came very little time to talk about what Rose actually wanted to tell Scorpius. Even when she tried to cut in, Scorpius would quickly cut her off with another question about their work and she had no choice but to go along with his new direction of questioning.

"What do you think about doing a school event?" Rose asked irritably. "We didn't have one last year, because Rufus believed it would waste valuable study time, and Shasta couldn't do anything to convince him otherwise."

Scorpius looked down at his watch, his mouth twisting into a frown. "I don't have any ideas, but if you have any Weasley, feel free to tell Longbottom and I will go along with them."

Rose shot him a confused look. What was with him? She'd been treating him like crap for the entire week and _now_ he was just acting like he could care less about what she was doing.

Rose's mind suddenly shuttered to a stop. Wait... what was that last thought? Rose's eyes darted quickly in Scorpius' direction, which he didn't notice because he was busy scribbling something on the piece of parchment in front of him. He had been oddly calm today. All week he had kept his distance, but she had still caught him watching her. Now he just seemed kind of bored, like having to be near her was one big giant inconvenience and that he had much better things to do with his time.

The sickening feeling of dread settled itself in her stomach. Had he actually done what she had been hoping he would do for so long? Had he actually given up on her?

Rose's eyes widened and her head pivoted away from Scorpius to try and hide her frantic expression.

"So, are we done now?" Scorpius asked.

Rose hastily rearranged her hair in an attempt to hide her face. "Ya," Rose replied in a shaky voice. "You can get going."

Rose, keeping her back to him, stood up from her seat and began to arrange the pieces of parchment on the desk in front of her into a neat pile, trying in vain to distract her mind from the alarming thoughts that were springing up with each passing moment.

"Alright," Scorpius replied as he pushed his seat back. "I'll see you later, Weasley."

Weasley?

Rose spun around, her expression panicked, only to find that Scorpius was already walking out of the room. Rose just stared at his retreating figure. When had he started calling her Weasley again?

_Probably when you started treating him like shit._

Rose blinked in surprise as the memories from the past came rushing back to her.

She had hated how he had made fun of her. That much she was sure of. However, she had gotten so used to him being around her during her fifth year that his insults only managed to hurt her about half of the time. Instead she had openly anticipated his next attempt at belittling her in the hopes that she would be able to break him before he broke her. Somewhere along the way their fights had become a competition and Rose had always thought that Scorpius had gotten some sort of pleasure out of them. But now, she knew for a fact that she had felt the exact same way about their arguments as well.

Rose shuddered at the thought as she slipped the notes from their meeting into her bag.

She liked the attention and, because of her horror over that realization, she managed to convince herself that she hated his presence and that once he was gone she'd feel better.

Rose walked out of the study room, half in a trance, as she was urged by a small part of her mind to find a secluded place where she could be completely alone.

Sixth year was when their relationship had changed. He definitely hadn't sought her out to make fun of her like during their fifth year. Instead, it seemed that all he genuinely wanted to do was talk to her.

Rose had instantly balked at the change. She was used to fighting with him, not talking about their lives. So every part of her had told her to push away the unknown and she had done just that.

But had she gone too far? Had her unrelenting stubbornness managed to push away something she actually wanted in her life, no matter how annoying it could be.

Yes... yes she had managed to do that.

Rose, now too upset to walk any further, trudged over to the nearest wall and slid to the floor.

"You've really made a mess out of things this time Weasley," Rose said quietly, tucking her knees against her chest before burying her face in them.

* * *

"Rose," Longbottom said in surprise before looking down at his watch. "You're here early. Is Mr. Malfoy with you?"

Rose shot her professor a forced smile before settling into a seat in front of Longbottom's desk.

Rose had spent the rest of her afternoon feeling sorry for herself in her room. She had even skipped dinner, something she was seriously regretting now that her stomach was gnawing away at itself. She'd have to sneak into the kitchen's later tonight.

"No professor," Rose replied. "I think he's doing something right now. He should be here soon though."

Rose caught the slight frown that graced Longbottom's features at her comment but it quickly vanished. "Did the two of you discuss everything I told you to go over?"

"Yes," Rose replied. "We got everything finished."

"No problems working together?" Longbottom questioned.

Does acting like an irrational bitch for an entire week count as a problem? "No," Rose lied. "Malfoy is very efficient when he wants to do a good job."

Longbottom nodded in agreement. "He is a very smart young man, especially when motivated."

Rose frowned at Longbottom's comment. He didn't have to be motivated to be smart. Rose sighed and cast her eyes around the room, trying to think of something else to say.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Longbottom asked gently.

Rose's eyes snapped back to Longbottom's serious face but she remained silent. How was she supposed to answer that? No, she was not alright. She had somehow fallen for Scorpius Malfoy and she wasn't able to figure out that she wanted him in her life, until after she had kicked him out of it. But did she want to talk about it?

As of today... yes... yes she did.

"Rose?" Longbottom questioned, obviously noticing the miserable expression that had suddenly appeared on her face.

"Professor?" Rose questioned softly, breaking her gaze with Longbottom to stare down at her lap.

"Yes."

"What do you think my family would do if... if I told them I fancied Scorpius?" Rose asked in a soft voice.

Silence enveloped the room instantaneously and Rose didn't dare look at Longbottom's face. She knew for a fact that if she lifted her head to see what his expression was, she would lose the feeling of relief coursing through her body.

She had told someone how she felt.

Granted she hadn't really been all that specific but she had still admitted it too someone and she wasn't even panicking.

"I... I don't understand what you mean, Rose," Longbottom said in confusion.

Rose, now feeling slightly giddy over how she felt, looked up from her lap too look at Longbottom.

Bad idea.

Rose was shocked by the surprised look on Longbottom's face. He visibly looked like Rose had picked up one of the flower pots scattered around his office and then smashed it over his head. Now, she started to panic.

"I – I," Rose stuttered, face turning a lovely shade of crimson. "I meant theoretically, of course. Like, what would my parents do if I told them I fancied Malfoy?"

"I don't think that's what you meant, Rose," Longbottom said in a serious voice.

She froze. "Er-," Rose mumbled as she tried to find a way out of the horrible predicament she had gotten herself into.

"Rose," Longbottom said sternly. "What's going on?"

Rose stared at Longbottom with wide-eyes. How could she get out of this situation? She could just deny everything; Longbottom couldn't force the truth out of her. However, he would still know that she was hiding something, which would possibly lead to him sending a worried letter home to her parents. Oh bollocks! She was probably going to have to run for it.

"Am I late?"

The familiar voice that called out from behind her brought relief, dread and giddiness rushing down upon her. Rose turned her head and practically beamed at Scorpius, who was standing in the doorway to Longbottom's office, while silently thanking him for having the best timing ever.

Scorpius seemed visibly taken aback by her pleased expression and Rose couldn't help but notice how his eyes nervously darted away from her face before taking the seat next to her.

"No, no, Mr. Malfoy," Longbottom replied with a wave of his hand, while staring at both Rose and Scorpius with a curious look on his face. "Shall we get started?"

The meeting progressed without a hitch. Longbottom asked Rose and Scorpius for the prefect patrol and Hogsmeade visit schedules and had quickly declared them both acceptable. However, Rose still remained uneasy the entire time. Longbottom wouldn't stop watching the both of them as they interacted with each other and he would often slip questions into the mix that would force them to come up with the right answers together. What was even worse was that Scorpius had also begun to notice something was going on and instead of ignoring her; he spent most of the meeting watching her as closely as Longbottom was.

"Well," Longbottom declared cheerfully. "It looks like we're done for the day you two. Good work as usual."

Rose couldn't help but sigh with relief. All she wanted to do now was get out of this stuffy office, take a hot bubble bath, and then figure out what she was going to do about her situation with Scorpius.

"Thanks professor," Rose replied with a smile, before turning her head to where Scorpius was sitting, only to find his seat already empty.

Rose groaned in frustration and grabbed her bag while mumbling obscenities under her breath, no longer caring what Longbottom thought.

"It looks like the two of you had some sort of disagreement," Longbottom said suddenly, causing Rose to turn and look at him.

"You could say that," Rose muttered irritably as she lifted her bag onto her shoulder. "Have a good night professor."

Rose turned away from him and took a step towards the door.

"I think your parents would understand," Longbottom suddenly declared.

Rose turned around in surprise. "What?" she asked in confusion.

"I was answering your question from before. I think you're parents would be surprised at first... but then they would understand."

Rose stared at her professor for a few very long seconds before turning away from him and hurrying out of the room without a word.

* * *

What had he meant by that?

Rose groaned loudly as she slowly trudged through the corridors to her room. She had decided to make a detour towards the kitchens, since she was starving and desperately needed a distraction from the day's events. Now, four chocolate croissants and a huge glass of milk later, Rose was slowly making her way towards the head common room, silently hoping that Scorpius would be in his room when she got there.

What had Longbottom meant about her parents understanding her having feelings for Scorpius? Who was he kidding? Her father would probably have a coronary if she went up to him and told him what she actually thought about Scorpius Malfoy.

But what _did_ she actually think about Scorpius?

Rose just let out a depressed moan at the thought as she stopped in front of the entrance to her dorm room.

"Fire orchid," she grumbled irritably, causing the wolf and the golden lab in the portrait to perk up and the portrait hole to swing open.

Rose stepped inside, only to stop when she heard the sound of a pair of voices from around the corner. Great. Just who exactly was in her room?

Shoulders slumped, her hair slightly snarled looking from constantly running her hands through it from nerves and not caring at all what she looked like, Rose walked down the small corridor and into her common room with a horrible expression on her face, only for it to quickly change into one of shock.

"What the bloody hell are you two doing in my chair!" Rose screeched as she stared at Zabini, who was currently straddling a slightly uncomfortable looking Scorpius' lap.

Zabini's head shot up in surprise before sending Rose a wicked smile. "Oh, hello Weasley. We didn't hear you come in."

Rose's heart began to pound at an overly accelerated rate. She was so not in the mood for something like this right now. "You didn't answer my question. What are the both of you doing in my chair?" Rose exclaimed.

"What does it look like we're doing, Weasley? Knitting tea cozies," Zabini answered sarcastically.

Rose felt her cheeks heat in anger as she stared at Zabini, who had yet to move herself from her position over Scorpius. She wanted to do nothing more than walk over there and throw her off of him, but she knew that if she did something like that, she would have to answer a few questions afterwards.

"This is Weasley's seat, Tatiana," Scorpius muttered, his face looking anywhere but at Rose or Zabini's chest, which she had strategically managed to place right in front of his face.

There he went with that Weasley thing again. Was he really that angry with her that he would call the slut lounging in his lap by her first name and not her?

Whoa. Where the hell had that come from?

Rose blinked in confusion as Zabini responded to Scorpius' comment. "And I don't give a damn. We were having a good time just now and she ruined it, so pardon me if I could care less about breaking in her chair a little."

Zabini's answer was enough to snap Rose out of her dazed state and she stared murderously at her. "I can break in my own chair thank you," Rose replied heatedly. "Now can you please either take this upstairs or leave before you activate my gag reflex."

Zabini snorted. "Who would want to do anything with you?"

Rose's blood boiled at her comment before recalling something that brought a sly smile to her face. "That's funny. I thought you, of all people, would remember the conversation we had about a person who would be more than willing to do anything with me at any time."

The dumb-struck look on Zabini's face made Rose's day ten times over and she couldn't help but grin in triumph as Zabini did a very good impression of a gold fish in response. However, Scorpius was the first one to say anything. "What conversation?" he asked darkly.

Tatiana, brought back to reality by Scorpius' voice, hopped off of him and walked quickly towards Rose, her eyes shooting daggers at her. "What did you say?" She hissed.

"You heard me," Rose taunted, glaring up at the taller girl. "I'm not even trying right now, Zabini. So just imagine what would happen if I started to."

Rose noticed Zabini's hand rise up in a flash and Rose couldn't help but flinch. She had never been slapped by anyone for real and she was kind of wondering how it would feel.

"Let go of me, Scorpius!" Zabini snarled. Rose's eyes popped open in surprise and she looked up to see Scorpius holding Zabini's raised arm while giving her a dangerous look.

"I think it's time for you to leave, Tatiana," Scorpius suggested in an unfeeling voice that sent a chill down Rose's spine. Scorpius was not pleased, and as soon as Tatiana was out of the room, she was probably going to get an earful.

"Are you kidding me?" Tatiana screeched as she ripped her arm from his grasp. "Just now was the closest we've been in months and now you're kicking me out of the room you let me into."

"You need to cool off," he replied simply.

Zabini shot him a cold look before turning the same expression on Rose. Feeling slightly triumphant that she had managed to get her out of the common room, Rose just smirked in response, which seemed to ignite another spark of rage in Zabini's eyes as she stalked out of the room.

"Was that little charade really necessary?" Scorpius asked coldly once the audible click of the portrait hole closing was heard from the other end of the hallway.

Rose's triumphant smirk was instantly wiped away at his tone and she looked up at his face to see him glaring at her angrily.

"It's been a long day Malfoy and I just reacted badly to the two of you doing... doing whatever it was you were doing in my chair," Rose grumbled. "Besides I thought the two of you were as good as done."

One of Scorpius' eyebrows rose in question at her answer. "And why do you care about what's going on between me and my girlfriend?"

Rose gritted her teeth at the inflection of the word 'girlfriend'. "I don't care." _Yes you do_. "You can do whatever you like with her." _As long as I never find out about it_. "It's your funeral." _She's a giant slut and you could totally do better._

Scorpius stared down at her, a smirk appearing on his face. "You're lying, Weasley."

Rose's eyes widened in shock and she took a step back from him. "I am not," she spluttered.

"Are you sure," Scorpius said teasingly as he closed the distance in between them, in the process trapping Rose up against a wall. "Because you seemed rather upset about catching Tatiana and I together. A normal reaction to seeing us would have been something along the lines of 'get out of my chair' or just ignoring us, but you threatened Tatiana."

"I did not threaten her," Rose lied. "I was just reminding her that, if I tried or cared, I could probably have whatever bloke I wanted."

Scorpius' eyes hardened at Rose's answer and she could tell that he hadn't liked the idea of her with other blokes and the monster her hormones had created seemed to purr in pleasure at his reaction. "Yes, but the two of you were talking about one person in particular," Scorpius said softly as he leaned in closer to her face. "Who was it? Or... do I already know the answer?"

Shit. Rose raised both of her hands and pushed Scorpius away from her, silently fuming over how rashly she had acted when she saw Scorpius and Tatiana together. Hell, when she walked in they hadn't even been snogging and she had practically had a seizure.

_Well that is what jealousy does to people._

Great. Now she was jealous of Zabini to the point where she would probably rip out the other girl's hair if she ever saw her straddling Scorpius again.

But why are you jealous?

_Well he's mine of course._

Rose instinctively brought a hand up to cover her mouth, afraid that she had just said that last thought out loud. What? Rose stared at Scorpius in complete shock. He wasn't hers. He was dating someone else!

"You okay, Weasley? You look like you just swallowed a bug," Scorpius said with a grin.

Rose glared at him. This was maddening. Now her hormones were trying to convince her that he was hers. Merlin, she was probably going to have to drown herself in the bath tonight because there was no way she'd be able to live with herself if Nora ever found out what she was thinking.

Rose straightened herself up as she tried to regain her composure. "Would you kindly stop being such a pig-headed git, Malfoy? It's an unattractive quality."

Scorpius' smirk just grew wider at her comment and she stomped away from him, silently berating herself for actually enjoying their conversation.

* * *

"Did you hear about the Gryffindor quidditch tryouts this morning? Another bloody Weasley is on the team."

Nora rolled her eyes and glared at the bookcase behind her, which blocked her view of a group of Ravenclaw's that were being more than obnoxious.

"Come on Simon. We all know you have to be a Weasley in some way or shagging one of them in order to get anywhere in that house," a girl replied nastily.

Do not get up. Do not get up. Nora gritted her teeth. She hadn't been sleeping with anyone when she joined the Gryffindor quidditch team last year. Besides that girl probably secretly yearned to know what Al looked like without any clothes on.

For the record... 'yummy' was the best word to describe him naked.

"But the thing I love the most about the Gryffindor's is how they're protecting their special little super powered princess," one of the guys grumbled. "We can't say a thing about Wilson without one of them jumping down our throats."

"I know," the girl muttered. "Even though everything we say is completely true. My dad told me that a quarter of the departments in the ministry are swamped with complaints and no one understands why they're protecting her. Apparently the Department of Mysteries is keeping themselves more shut away from everyone than usual."

Nora's head perked up at that last comment. Now why would the Department of Mysteries be hiding themselves more than usual? Nora silently picked up her chair and carefully moved herself closer to the bookshelf that hid her from the group of people on the other side of it.

"That proves that she's a giant freak," one of the guys hissed. "If the Department of Mysteries is clamming up, then she's definitely a risk to our bloody lives. This is why my parents almost didn't want me to come back with her around. How safe do you think we are with somebody who can move whatever she wants with her mind?"

"From what I've heard, that's not everything that she can do," the guy Nora guessed was Simon said.

Nora didn't like his tone. There was no way he could know anything about her on his own but she had no idea who his parents were.

"What are you talking about, Simon?" the girl asked in confusion.

"You know how my dad works for the Prophet," Simon began.

"Ya," both the other guy and the girl said in unison.

"Well my dad recently had a conversation with Henry Caville, the bloke who wrote the first expose about Wilson, and Caville told him that he's still investigating her," Simon said in a hushed voice that had Nora straining to hear what he was saying.

"I thought he got everything?" the other guy replied.

"Caville's convinced that he didn't. The person who tipped him off about Wilson wasn't a high ranking member of the ministry so there's the chance he or she didn't know everything. And there's also the fact that since the ministry is still being so secretive, there has to be more to Wilson than the ministry is letting on," Simon explained.

"Bloody hell," the girl replied in an astonished voice. "So Wilson could be even more of a freak than what we know now?"

Nora gritted her teeth at the girl's statement.

"Ya," Simon replied. "And how much do you want to bet that Albus Potter and all of his friends know everything about her and are protecting her."

The nameless guy snorted. "Which means we're never going to find out if there's more to Wilson. Half of the ministry is terrified of ever getting on the Weasley's or the Potter's bad sides."

"Still," Simon replied. "My dad told me to keep my eyes open for trouble because he doesn't trust that the ministry has got Wilson as under control as their claiming."

Nora just stared vacantly at the empty air in front of her. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? They had no right to go snooping in her life! Nora clenched her hands into fists as she tried to remain calm. She didn't want to hurt anyone. Didn't they see that?

No, they didn't see a thing because they were so wrapped up in the negative aspect of everything. She was something different and they were rejecting her whole-heartedly. Just like she knew they would. Nora felt her anger rising at the thought. They had no right to judge her. They had no right at all! She could flatten them like a bug in an instant and they hadn't even realized it yet.

The thud of objects falling to the floor jerked Nora from her dark thoughts and she peered around in confusion at the dozens of fallen books around her.

"What the hell was that?" Simon's voice said in panic.

"I don't know," the girl said worriedly. "The bookshelf just started shaking completely on its own and the books came flying off of the shelves."

Nora's eyes widened in horror and she bolted up from her seat. Had she done that? Oh please tell her that she hadn't done that. Nora quickly grabbed her things and, with her head bowed, she hurried past the group of Ravenclaw's and through the library doors as several people got up to see what all the commotion was about.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Nora muttered as she practically jogged through the hallways. She wasn't about to admit it to anyone, but she was having trouble keeping her abilities in check when she let her emotion's get carried away. It wouldn't be anything horrible, just things would start shaking or something would sort of toss itself off of a shelf, but it had never been something like that. She could have tipped the entire shelf over if she hadn't stopped herself.

"Take deep breaths," Nora mumbled in a panicked voice. "Take deep breaths. No one – oof!" Not looking where she was going, Nora stumbled directly into someone, causing her to stumble.

"Shit. I'm sorry," she said frantically and she looked up to see who she had bumped into, only to let her eyes widen in shock as she stared at none other than Professor Grant.

"That's quite alright. These things happen to me more often than you think," he said with a dry laugh before looking up at her, his joking expression quickly turning serious when he saw her face.

Nora ducked her head and brushed past him. "I need to get going," she said in a rushed voice. "Places to go, people to see-."

"Miss. Wilson," Grant interrupted in a serious voice. "What is wrong with your skin?"

Nora's head whipped around to stare at him in confusion. "Wha-?" She said, her voice trailing off when she looked down at her hand.

It was glowing.

Nora's eyes widened in horror before she quickly turned away from Grant and hurried away from him, ignoring him calling her name.

Nora rushed around a corner, her eyes searching in vain for a place to hide, where they quickly stopped at a broom cupboard. She rushed forward and grabbed a hold of the door handle before quickly running inside and closing it behind her.

"Take a deep breath, Nora," she muttered to herself as she tried to calm herself down. "Take a deep breath and it will all go away."

Nora stared miserably down at her hand as the glow on her skin slowly faded, leaving her shrouded in complete darkness. Convinced that she was completely alone, Nora sunk down on to the floor with her head buried in her hands.

It was getting worse. Why was it getting worse?

* * *

A/N- I know, I know that it's been awhile since I've updated but I was suffering through a large case of writer's block but here is chapter 7. So we have Rose realizing that being a twit is only going to result in her losing Scorpius, which she has realized she does not want to lose, and Nora is having a bit of trouble controlling her abilities. Hmmm... I predict trouble on the horizon. Anyway, I plan on getting up the next chapter much sooner than this one so please read and review as always. Hugs and kisses.


	8. Hypothetical Future Investigations

Chapter 8 – Hypothetical Future Investigations

Disclaimer - Harry Potters is not mine, he belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

"Would everyone please turn to page 230 of their textbooks and read the chapter detailing the proper way to transfigure a person into an animal," Professor Gale declared. "What you read today will be applied during the next few lessons, so practice your wand movements thoroughly."

Rose stared down at her textbook with new found interest. She was finally learning something that could come in very handy in the near future, since she'd been imagining what Tatiana would look like as a goat for almost two weeks.

Rose lifted her head to stare discreetly at the desk beside her where Scorpius and Tatiana were seated together.

Much to Rose's horror, Tatiana appeared to be rubbing the inside of Scorpius' thigh and she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it. However, Scorpius didn't seem at all bothered by what she was doing, since he was reading his textbook with an expression of both boredom and exasperation.

Rose quickly looked away from the scene unfolding beside her, her face heating with jealousy as she began to imagine different ways of murdering Zabini and then getting away with it afterwards.

He could be yours you know.

Rose glared down at her textbook. How could he be hers if it looked like he was patching things up with Zabini?

"Rose?" Alice, who was sitting next to her, suddenly asked.

"What?" Rose snapped.

Alice frowned at Rose's tone but continued. "I told you before class that I wanted to talk to you. Remember?"

Rose did recall Alice talking to her about something before transfiguration, but she had been too busy glaring at Zabini and hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation.

"Sure," Rose lied. "What's up?"

"It's Nora," Alice said in a low voice, her eyes darting over to where Nora was sitting with Al a couple of desks away from them. "She's been acting on edge for the past couple of weeks and I think she hasn't been sleeping properly."

"Really?" Rose said worriedly, her problems momentarily forgotten.

"Yes," Alice nodded. "Just look at her."

Rose turned her head to look behind her to see Nora positioned with her feet in Al's lap while reading a book about necromancy, her transfiguration textbook forgotten. While it probably wasn't noticeable to most people, Nora did seem to have acquired a pair of very dark circles under her eyes.

Rose frowned and turned to back to look at Alice. "Have you told, Al?"

"I think he already knows that something's up," Alice replied. "Do you think something happened?"

"I have no idea," Rose replied honestly.

"What about you? I couldn't help but notice that you're awfully... distracted lately."

Rose sighed. Distracted was one word for how she was acting, but she couldn't help it. All she could think about was Scorpius and how he was confusing her.

Most of the time he just ignored her and if he was ever forced to talk to her he would act so sickeningly polite that Rose was always tempted to scream at him. But not long after that she'd often catch him staring at her in a way that made her toes curl.

"I'm fine," Rose replied. "I've just had a lot on my mind. Anyway, just keep an eye on Nora since I don't live with the two of you anymore."

"Done and done," Alice said dutifully. "Oh – and here's an idea. You could ask Scorpius to ask Nora how she's doing. The two of them are awfully close these days."

Rose's mood plummeted drastically at the idea of asking Scorpius for anything, but it was true. Scorpius and Nora were rather close.

A light bulb suddenly seemed to switch itself on somewhere in the back of her head and Rose perked up as an idea began to take shape. If Scorpius knew important things about Nora, Nora would obviously know a few things about Scorpius as well. Why the hell hadn't she thought of this sooner. Nora would obviously know if Scorpius was getting back together with Zabini and she could easily pretend that she was just worried about walking in on them shagging in the middle of the common room and possibly being scarred for life. After all, Nora wasn't allowed to take anymore peeks inside her head.

But what if she tells you that Zabini and Scorpius are getting back together?

No, no. There will be no jumping to unnecessary conclusions. She was going to take this issue one step at a time.

* * *

Potions class was a class that Rose both dreaded and anticipated. She anticipated, greatly, the long periods of time where she could sit right beside Scorpius and 'accidently' brush any part of his body. However, she dreaded the curious looks from people around her when she had sometimes taken her 'accidents' a little too far and had sometimes managed to fall directly into Scorpius' arms, who was often forced to catch her in order to keep her from falling to the floor. Yes, she was never going to do that again. Marina Kozlova had even tried to convince Stone that she was drunk the other day since both her and Zabini seemed to have a pretty good idea of what she was up to. Much to her displeasure, her friends had found that hilarious.

But there would be none of that at in today's double potion's class. Today she needed to use her brain for something other than thinking up different ways of harming Zabini and start asking a few questions.

"So what are you up to this weekend, Malfoy?" Rose asked in an uninterested voice.

Scorpius, who had been diligently chopping up a few scarab beetles, turned his head to look at her in confusion. "Nothing really," he answered as he scrutinized her. "I have a quidditch practice on Sunday. Why?"

"No reason," Rose replied nonchalantly. "Just curious."

Rose immediately noticed the bewildered expression on Scorpius' face over her answer and she couldn't help but smile slightly.

"You're curious about what I'm up to this weekend," Scorpius replied in disbelief.

"Yes," Rose replied turning to look at him. "Are those practices open for visitors?"

Scorpius' eyes widened in surprise. "Er- yes. Do you want to come watch?"

Rose couldn't help but shoot him a playful look even though she had decided she was going to be serious today. Screw being serious. If Scorpius had the right to confuse her, she could act out of character and confuse him right back.

"I might," Rose replied thoughtfully as she emptied a vial of doxy wings into the cauldron sitting in front of them, causing the concoction inside of it to sizzle loudly.

Scorpius appeared to be flustered by her answer and Rose's insides couldn't help but celebrate her victory. Flirting with Scorpius was easy if she caught him off guard. She was definitely going to have to do this more often.

"I think I forgot the dragon's blood," Scorpius said distractedly as he looked around the surface of the table they were working at, his eyes glancing at her in a way that made Rose realize that he was waiting for her to snap at him over something inconsequential. However, only irrational Rose would do something like that. Today, she was calm, cool and collected and there was nothing that could change that.

"I'll go get it," Rose replied cheerfully. "Just remember to stir the potion in a minute."

Scorpius just blinked at her in response and Rose took that as a sign that he had gotten the message, as she got off of her chair and walked herself over to the cupboard where all the potions ingredients were located.

"You think you're so clever, don't you Weasley," an easily recognizable voice hissed from behind Rose as she went to go open the storeroom cupboard. Rose sighed and turned her head to meet Zabini's glare.

"What do you want, Zabini?" Rose asked in exasperation as she pried open the cupboard door and peered inside.

"Do you really think that I have no idea what you're up to?" Zabini whispered as she shoved Rose slightly so she could gain access to the cupboard. "You've been all over Scorpius for the past week and a half and it's really starting to look pathetic."

Rose gritted her teeth at Zabini's comment and shot her a glare. "If my 'advances' are so pathetic Zabini, then why are you getting so worked up over them?"

"Ha," Zabini taunted as she grabbed a vial from the cupboard. "Like I would ever get worked up over someone as plain as you trying to take what's already mine. I just find it horribly entertaining that you think what you're doing right now will actually get Scorpius to forget about me and take up with you of all people.

"Right," Rose said sarcastically as she pushed several different vials aside to reach what she was looking for, trying in vain to ignore the glare Zabini was giving her. She had promised herself to remain calm for the entire potion's lesson and there was no way she was going to let Zabini be the one to break that promise. "Shouldn't you be going now?"

"Cute," Zabini replied mockingly. "But just remember, out of the two of us, who do you think he was with last night?"

Rose shot Zabini a dangerous look and Zabini just smirked at her before walking away and leaving Rose alone with her thoughts.

Okay. Remain calm. Just because Scorpius was with Zabini last night doesn't mean he was doing anything with her. Rose grabbed the vial of dragon's blood from the confines of the cupboard and looked over her shoulder to see Zabini giving her a smug look from where she was sitting beside Nora.

Rose huffed in indignation and turned her head to look down at the corked vial of blood in her hand. She could only imagine how wonderful it would feel to 'accidentally' drop it on her bloody head and then watch with satisfaction as the smug smirk on her face would vanish in an instant.

Why do you have to imagine doing it, when you could just... do it?

Rose stared wide-eyed down at the vial in her hands. Did she dare? Rose let her eyes drift back over to Zabini, who was staring hungrily over at Scorpius. Rose's expression darkened. Yup, she dared.

With a slight smirk plastered on her face, Rose backed up and closed the cupboard doors, and began to walk slowly, but deliberately, in the direction of Zabini while inconspicuously uncorking the vial of blood in her hands. Now how was she going to do this without looking completely obvious? She could easily claim that she was only walking behind her to get to her desk, since hers was beside Zabini and Nora's. Another problem was the risk of splashing some on Nora. While there was a higher chance of Nora just laughing at Zabini getting covered in something disgusting, there was also the chance that her lack of sleep had completely removed her sense of humour and replaced it with a heightened level of irritability.

Rose cringed as the scene of Nora throttling her began to play out in her head and Rose sighed, perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. She was head girl after all. What kind of example would she be showing to everyone else if she was pouring dragon's blood down people's sides just because she thought they were giant gits?

Rose stared forlornly down at the vial in her hands as she began to walk behind where Nora was seated. Not paying attention to where she was walking, Rose completely missed that Nora had suddenly pushed out her chair, causing Rose to easily hook her foot on one of the chair legs. Rose let out of a yelp of surprise as she pitched forward, the vial of blood flying from her hands as she scrambled to keep herself on her feet.

A blood curdling scream instantly followed Rose's slip up and she looked up in horror to see Zabini staring at her with a deranged look on her face as a stream of dark red liquid trickled down the side of her neck and down into her once very white oxford, staining it in a very gruesome fashion.

Rose stared at the quickly growing stain on Zabini's shirt with complete astonishment. She actually hadn't even meant to spill it on Zabini and she ended up doing what she had wanted to do anyway.

"Weasley!" Zabini shrieked. "You did that on purpose!"

Rose heard a few collective snickers ring out from around her and Nora snorted loudly beside her at Zabini's comment. "I did not," Rose protested as she straightened herself up from her hunched over position. "I just tripped over the chair leg."

"Really," Zabini snarled. "So you just happened to be uncorking the vial just as you were walking by where I sat?"

Rose spluttered with annoyance as she tried to come up with a retort but she was suddenly cut off by the appearance of Professor Stone.

"Is there something wrong ladies?" Stone asked.

"Yes. Weasley purposefully dumped an entire vial of blood down my shirt," Zabini replied, pointing at her stained shirt.

"And what possessed Miss. Weasley to do such a thing?" Stone replied in a bored voice.

Zabini instantly shut her mouth and Rose couldn't help but smirk. There was no way that the general population of Hogwarts would ever believe that she actually fancied Scorpius to the point of being jealous of her, so poor Zabini was left without any legitimate reason for Rose purposefully spilling something gross on her.

"It was an accident professor," Nora said with exasperation. "Rose almost landed on her face when she tripped over the back of my chair. You'd have to be blind to not be able to tell that this was all an accident."

Zabini glared at Nora and Stone sighed. "Alright. Miss. Weasley please take your seat and refrain from uncorking vials as you are walking, since it is unnecessary, and Miss. Zabini, you can easily perform a simple cleaning charm on yourself, so there is no need to draw this out any more than it already has been," Stone ordered in an uninterested voice and Rose blushed slightly.

"Yes, professor," Rose replied sheepishly.

"Unbelievable," Zabini exclaimed. "You're not going to punish her professor. She hates me and everyone knows it!"

Professor Stone just gave Zabini a withering look before turning his back on her. "Please feel free to use the bathroom if you wish Miss. Zabini," Stone offered as he was walked back to his desk at the front of the room, causing several people to snort loudly when they saw the dumbfounded look on Zabini's face.

Before Zabini could try and hex her, Rose scooted past her and practically dived back into her seat with a sigh of relief. Thank Merlin Stone cared so little about his student's feelings or she probably would have had detention and the whole school asking her a whole lot of unwanted questions.

"Nice one, Weasley," Scorpius said from beside her and Rose jumped in surprise. She had completely forgotten about Scorpius in all of the excitement.

"Thanks," Rose replied sarcastically.

"No really," he replied back. "You looked very graceful while your arms were flailing around looking for something to hold onto."

"Sod off, Malfoy," Rose snapped as she inwardly grinned. Now this was the Scorpius she liked. The one who wasn't afraid to say whatever he was thinking, while being fully aware it could get him in a lot of trouble.

Scorpius smirked and ignored her last comment. "Just to inform you, we still need dragon's blood since the vial you 'accidentally' poured down Tatiana's shirt is no longer of any use to either of us."

Rose just glared up at him, while her insides cheered.

* * *

Scorpius wasn't quite sure what to think of his relationship with Rose at the present time. Was he actually succeeding in making her jealous, because there were times when she acted absolutely barmy and others where she didn't seem upset at all. He also wasn't sure how long he could keep up the act of getting back together with Tatiana without having to sell his soul to the bloody devil.

Scorpius chanced a look in Rose's direction as she cleaned up their station; their double potions period now almost over. He would be lying if he said he hadn't been somewhat thrilled to be paired with her and boy did she make double potions far more interesting. Seeing Tatiana covered in dragon's blood had been hilarious, even while knowing he was going to get an earful from her later for not sticking up for her.

"Mr. Malfoy," Stone called out from the front of the room over the rustling of students packing away their things. "The headmistress would like to see you in her office after class as soon as possible."

Scorpius gave Stone a look of confusion. "Why?"

Stone's expression darkened. "She failed to give me the details, but it is supposedly quite urgent."

Scorpius' brow furrowed in thought, well aware of the curious looks several people were giving him. Now why would Monroe want to see only him? It couldn't be a head meeting, since Rose would also have been asked to come see her as well and he was about 99% sure that he hadn't done anything horribly wrong lately. Therefore, this meeting must be about something else.

Scorpius' eyes drifted over to where Nora was talking with Al before the bell, signalling the end of class, rang out around the room. Scorpius grabbed his things and swung his bag over his shoulder; quickly exiting the room before Tatiana could corner him and start badgering him with questions and her thoughts about how much she hated Rose.

Making his way through the throng of students streaming out of the different classrooms, Scorpius couldn't help but notice a few reproachful looks sent in his direction, but he had long ago chosen to ignore them. After all, he was head boy now and most students knew better then to make any comments about his family. And even if they ever did make any comments about his family, it wasn't as if he hadn't heard it all before. He had never blamed his parents for all the comments directed at him. He loved them both, even if he never really admitted it.

However, that was his biggest problem. The fact that he loved them and wanted to make sure that they were always comfortable and happy was the main thing keeping him back from doing what he wanted. Sure, he may have recently been making steps to change that, but deep down, Scorpius knew that it was going to be very hard to do anything that could upset his parents too much.

Scorpius agilely dodged a pair of third years and then walked up a long flight of stairs, stopping directly in front of the entrance to Monroe's office. Much to his surprise the griffin that guarded the doorway moved aside on its own, as if it had been waiting for him to arrive, and Scorpius walked past it and climbed the spiralling staircase up to the open doorway to the headmistress's office.

The first thing that Scorpius noticed was that Monroe was not alone. With her was a tall greying man with a moustache that looked as if it had been glued onto his face and short woman with platinum blonde curled hair, wearing a lime green set of robes that could easily blind small children.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy," Monroe greeted, her expression brightening as he walked into the room, instantly informing Scorpius that the professor obviously did not like her company. "Thank you for coming here so quickly. Please take a seat so Clive can tell us what he's here for."

The man with the wonky moustache gave Monroe a stern look as Scorpius made his way over to one of the vacant seats in front of Monroe's desk. "Mr. Malfoy," the man said, outstretching his hand towards Scorpius as he took a seat in the chair opposite of him. "Clive Branshaw and this young woman is my assistant, Nina."

Scorpius took the man's hand and shook it firmly; flashing him a pleasant smile he had been taught to give to anyone who could possibly be a member of the ministry. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Branshaw replied and removed his hand from Scorpius'. "However, you're probably wondering what I have come here to tell you."

As if on cue, Nina pulled out her wand and conjured up a roll of parchment and a large peacock quill and then began to stare intently at Scorpius, making him quite uncomfortable.

"I was told that whatever this meeting is about, it's quite urgent, so naturally I'm a bit curious," Scorpius replied as politely as possible, while trying to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Of course he wanted to know what the idiot wanted to tell him. He wouldn't have come if he hadn't.

"Alright. Let's do this as quickly as possible then," Branshaw said with a forced smile and Scorpius' expression darkened. It seemed he was talking to someone who really didn't like his father much. Then again, not many people did. Scorpius was often more surprised when he found a person who truly liked his father. "Nina. Remember to get everything in writing," he ordered.

"Yes, Mr. Branshaw," Nina replied in a shrill voice that made Monroe wince and then pat her ear.

"Er – what's going on?" Scorpius asked in confusion as Nina began to scribble furiously on the parchment in her hands. "What exactly does she have to write down?"

"Clive Branshaw is what we would call a 'legal aid' to the Winzengamot's special inquiries division. One or several members of the Winzengamot will often send him out to get witnesses to give statements that they sign themselves or even just to verify that a witness is willing to be a witness," Monroe explained with a look of displeasure.

"In your case, Mr. Malfoy," Branshaw added. "I am only here to verify that you are willing to be a witness in a possible upcoming investigation."

"What possible upcoming investigation?" Scorpius questioned.

Branshaw fidgeted nervously in his chair before explaining. "This little meeting is just to insure that, if any future events were to occur that could lead to a possible investigation into Miss. Wilson, then the ministry would be aware that you are available to be used as a witness."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Scorpius exclaimed and turned to look at Monroe. "Professor, I thought they decided that Darius' death was an accident. What the hell do they have to investigate?"

"This has nothing to do with that Mr. Malfoy," Monroe replied softly. "It's just like Clive said. The ministry just wants to be organized in case Miss. Wilson does anything that could give them the authority to launch an investigation."

Scorpius stared in dismay at Monroe before turning to look at Branshaw; who was giving the headmistress a very disapproving look. "Headmistress, please, you are making something sound so much more... nefarious than it actually is."

Monroe raised an eyebrow in Branshaw's direction causing the man to pale slightly. Scorpius grinned at his misfortune before fixing the man next to him with an unpleasant look. "So you're telling me that you're here to make sure that I'll be a witness in this hypothetical investigation that the ministry has convinced itself will happen."

"In a sense," Branshaw replied awkwardly. "Yes."

"In that case," Scorpius replied, turning to look at Nina, who was still furiously writing away at speed's Scorpius had never seen. "Write this down. "I, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, give my consent to be a witness in any hypothetical future investigations into my friend Nora Wilson's character, since I'm guessing that, that is what this is about."

Branshaw sighed. "Lovely. Thank y-"

"I wasn't finished," Scorpius interrupted, fixing the man with an icy look. "You can also write down that I will, in no way, be doing anything to smear Nora's name, since I have come to consider her as the little sister I never had. So as a witness in this made up investigation, I only plan to defend her in any way I possibly can."

Branshaw stared uneasily at Scorpius while Nina stared at him wide-eyed. He couldn't help but feel smug. Everyone thought it was surprising that Draco Malfoy's son having feelings for something other than a fellow Slytherin, or money, was absolutely unprecedented.

"I see," Branshaw replied giving Nina a look that told Scorpius that he didn't want her to write down all of what he had just said. "We will make a note of that Mr. Malfoy. We're really just happy that we have your cooperation."

"And why wouldn't you?" Scorpius questioned in a biting tone.

"Well," Branshaw hesitated. "Your father was voicing his opinion on the matter recently and, with the way he was talking, it sounded as if he did not want you to be a part of this ministry investigation."

Scorpius stared at the man in front of him. So, his father, or more likely his grandfather, was already voicing his opinion on how he didn't like him getting so involved in potentially sticky situations. How very surprising. "I'm old enough to be making my own decisions," Scorpius replied coolly, while his insides silently began to doubt his decision. Was his father finally starting to show his reservations about him being friends with Nora? It wasn't like he hadn't seen it coming; he had just hoped it would have taken him longer to decide how he felt about her being around his son.

Monroe, who had been watching Scorpius and Branshaw for the past few minutes, suddenly cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "I believe that you now have all you need, Clive," she said with a note of finality to her voice. "Don't you think?"

"Yes. You are right," Branshaw replied, sounding relieved as he quickly got up from his seat. "You can pack up, Nina."

Scorpius watched as the young woman flicked her wand, and without a word, the parchment and peacock quill vanished, all the while she was staring at Scorpius with a new found interest.

Scorpius got up from his seat as Branshaw turned to look at Monroe and him. "Well," Branshaw began. "Have a good day Mr. Malfoy, headmistress. I'm glad that this meeting went so smoothly."

Monroe gave Branshaw a sweet smile in return, causing the man to stiffen. "I am as well, Clive."

Branshaw gave her a nervous look before turning his back on both of them and hurrying from the room, Nina staring at everyone in awe as she followed after him.

As soon as the both of them were out of sight, Scorpius angrily snatched up his bag, wanting nothing more than to write a strongly worded letter to his father that he knew he would never send.

"Mr. Malfoy," Monroe suddenly said, causing Scorpius to jump slightly.

"Yes," Scorpius replied as he turned to face her.

"I'm proud of you," Monroe said with a smile.

Scorpius stared at her with genuine surprise. "What?"

"I'm proud of you," she replied simply. "You just confirmed that you are definitely your mother's son, which many people will be very thankful for in the near future."

Scorpius just stared at Monroe with complete confusion. He was his mother's son? What did that mean?

"You may leave now by the way," Monroe replied as she grabbed a book from the side of her desk and placed it in front of her. "I'm sure you have plenty of things to do."

"Right," Scorpius replied and he turned away from Monroe and strode across the room.

"Oh," Monroe suddenly declared, causing Scorpius to stop and turn. "Also, please do not be afraid to surprise more people in the future. I made you head boy for a reason."

Scorpius gave Monroe a bewildered look. What the bloody hell was she going on about? Scorpius, after giving his professor one last look of confusion, hurried out of the room; silently wondering how he was going to tell Nora what he had just found out.

* * *

A/N- Yes, it took me forever to write this. Hopefully now that I'm in school I'll be more driven. Anyway, this chapter is more of a filler with illusions of what is possibly about to come. And for those who are wondering, I did make Scorpius older than Nora since she was born January 1, 2006 and Scorpius was born in December 2005, so he's only a few weeks older and since in Britain how old you are when you start school is different from here in Canada, which is a bit confusing but w/e. I will try and get my act together and get chapter 9 up quicker than this one but I'm not giving any promises.

Please read and review as always. Toodles :)


	9. Questions And Answers

Chapter 9 – Questions and Answers

Disclaimer - Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

* * *

Nora could no longer pretend that she wasn't on edge, since it had now become painfully obvious to most people. Ever since Scorpius had come to talk to her a couple of weeks ago about how the ministry had asked him to be a witness in an investigation into her character that hadn't even started yet, she no longer knew how she was supposed to act. How was she supposed to pretend like nothing was wrong? Who was she supposed to turn to? Sure, she had a boyfriend who cared about her and friends who did as well, but Nora was starting to wish she had something else. Something like a parent; which was unfortunate since that was something she could never get back.

"Nora!" Al exclaimed, snapping Nora out of her thoughts.

"What?" Nora questioned in confusion.

Al sighed. "You're the one who asked me to help you study, so if you're not going to pay attention, then I refuse to quiz you."

Nora rubbed her face wearily and gave Al an apologetic look. "Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts."

"You've been doing that a lot lately," Al replied. "But you always refuse to tell me what's wrong."

Nora gave him a sour look. "Nothing's wrong. I've already told you that. I'm just a bit stressed from having to be on my best behaviour all the time," she insisted.

"And I still think you're sugar coating what's going on and I don't know why," Al replied with a hint of frustration.

"I can handle it," Nora replied. "This is something I can't get help with."

Al shot her a warning glance. "You know something," he began, "you are far too stubborn for your own good."

Nora leaned forward in her seat, so that her face was only a couple of inches in front of Al's. "You know you love it," she replied playfully, doing her best to change the subject.

Al gave her a withering look before closing the distance in between them and placing a quick kiss on her lips. "Oh, I adore it," he replied sarcastically as he pulled away. "So how about we get out of here. It's kind of useless to waste all this time in the library when it's so nice outside."

"Good idea," Nora replied as she stood up from her seat, doing her best to sound as cheerful as possible. She hated lying to him, but she knew she had to get through this on her own. If she always went around getting help from other people, then she would never be able to stand on her own.

Nora watched as Al began to pack away his things before letting her gaze wander. The library wasn't very busy since it was uncharacteristically warm for the middle of October, so most people were taking in the sun before it disappeared under months of gray clouds.

Nora looked over to the front desk, wondering if Madam Emerson was there so she could ask her about the unabridged biography on Merlin she had been dying to read, only for her balk as she stared at the back of a man who was undeniably Professor Grant as he was having a conversation with Emerson at her desk.

"Why is he here?" Nora hissed.

Al swung his book bag over his shoulder and stared in confusion at where Nora was looking, his gaze hardening slightly when he saw who Nora was looking at. "He's probably just asking about a book or something. Besides, maybe he's interested in Emerson. She isn't that horrible to look at when she isn't wearing animal print from head to toe."

"Does he really look like he's looking for a girlfriend," Nora snapped.

Al sighed and gave Nora a look that made her blood boil. "Have you ever stopped to think Nora," Al replied, "that all Professor Grant really is, is our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and nothing more than that."

"Yes," Nora replied stubbornly. "And then I stop and tell myself that I'm being stupid."

Al sighed again and began to walk away from her, forcing her to follow behind him as they walked out of the library.

"Al!" Nora whispered in a savage voice as they walked through the hallways. "Would you wait a second?"

Al suddenly stopped, making Nora check herself so she wouldn't run into him. "Why? You're not going to listen to me anyway."

Nora looked at him in surprise. "You know that I have to be careful, Al. I can't help but suspect that Grant could be here to do more than just teach."

"I understand that," Al replied in frustration. "Really I do. But don't you realize that the more you think about so many different people having hidden agendas; the more likely you are to have some sort of mental breakdown. You and I both know that your abilities are emotion based and if you don't relax, you're going to get yourself into trouble. I know you're not telling me everything that's going on inside that head of yours, and I get that you're a private person, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't bother me that your still being guarded around me after everything that we've been through."

Nora gritted her teeth as she looked up into his pleading big green eyes. Why couldn't she have fallen for an idiot? Her life would have been so much easier. "I told you, Al," Nora said slowly. "I'm fine. This is something that I have to look after myself."

"But why do you have to do whatever it is your doing by yourself?" Al asked, his voice rising.

"Because I need to do this on my own if I am ever going to get stronger," Nora insisted.

"And that is what I don't understand," Al replied vehemently. "What do you need to get stronger for?"  
"I just do!" Nora exclaimed angrily.

Al just stared down at Nora sadly. The conversation was over, they both knew it was, but Nora could tell that Al wanted to say something else; she could see it in his eyes. But instead of saying anything, Al, much to Nora's surprise, quickly pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Nora blinked as she tried to hide her shock over Al's sudden show of affection. They weren't the most public of couple's, Nora knew that. She wasn't someone who liked having her personal life on display for the world to see, especially now, and Al never had any problem with that since he was used to wanting to shy away from the public eye. So when Al acted like this, Nora never knew what to say or do in response, but he never seemed to notice.

Al buried his head into the crook of her neck and sighed, sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine. How was it that he was able to calm her down completely, just by hugging her? In his arms, the only thing she felt was safe, as if his arms created some sort of invisible shield around her that protected her from the unblinking critical gaze of the entire world. Nora, realizing that he probably wasn't going to let go of her until she made it clear to him that she was alright, lifted her arms and wrapped them gently around his mid-section.

Al lifted his head slightly, so that his mouth was at her ear. "Just don't do anything stupid, Nora," Al whispered into her ear before kissing her on the side of the head and letting go of her. Nora found herself longing for him to hold her again but she managed to compose herself in order to give him a response.

"I won't," Nora replied.

Al stared at her, as if he was trying to read her mind, before looking away. "I'll see you later then."

Nora nodded and she watched as Al turned away from her and walked down the corridor, until he turned a corner and was out of sight. Nora stared off into space, not bothering to move from where she was standing in the middle of the hallway.

She had to do this on her own. She needed to become strong enough to live on her own, so she could show the ministry that they weren't scaring her. To show her friends that she wasn't always going to be in trouble and to show her father that she didn't need him or his money. She wanted to secure her own place in this world and she didn't want to do it by relying on the Potter's and the Weasley's influence on the ministry. She wanted to become strong on her own and she wanted the whole world to see her do it.

But why did she have the feeling that she was going about everything completely backwards.

"Miss. Wilson!" a voice called out from behind Nora and she turned in surprise to see Professor Grant rushing towards her. Nora instantly stiffened at the sight of him. What did he want now?"

"Hello professor," Nora replied in a monotone voice as she tried to decide if it was too late to make a break for it.

"May I speak with you for a moment?" Grant replied in a cheerful voice. "It will only take a minute."

Nora sighed and turned herself around to face him as he stopped in front of her. "Sure, professor. What's up?"

"I wanted to ask if you were alright." Grant replied, his tone serious.

Nora blinked. "Er- I'm fine," she replied with a hint of confusion.

Grant didn't seem convinced by her answer. "Are you feeling stressed from your work load? Because you are allowed to inform your professor's if you are."

"Once again professor, I feel fine," Nora replied in exasperation. Maybe Al was right. Nora had, had several classes with Grant over the past month and a half and he acted more concerned for her well-being than a mother would for her five year old child. Perhaps he had been one of those useless auror's that they had gotten rid of because he was a hindrance to everyone else. For all Nora knew, all of his scars were the result of him acting like an idiot and possibly bating whatever creature had almost mauled him to death.

"Are you sure Miss. Wilson, because a few weeks ago when your body was glowing as you walked through the hallways in a panic, does not usually fall under my definition of fine," Grant replied in a severe voice that caused Nora to take a step back as she watched her professor's usually pleasant expression melt away in an instant. Nora had never seen such a change in personality in her entire life. Grant had gone from being cheerful and concerned for her well-being, to stone-faced in a matter of seconds. He didn't even look like himself anymore, since all Nora could see in front of her was a man who could easily get rid of anyone that got in his way. The laughter that always seemed to be present in his eyes had now vanished and in its place was a look that chilled Nora to her core. This man was an auror, through and through. He wasn't one of the sad men who worked only a desk job inside of the auror department; his best days far behind him due to either age or some cruel hand fate had dealt him. No this man was still very much in his prime. The question was, why was he at Hogwarts teaching eleven year olds about the difference between hippogriffs and unicorns?

"What exactly is it that you want professor?" Nora asked her voice hard.

"I had no idea that in order for you to take me seriously I would have to act as if I was interrogating a bloody mass murderer," Grant replied with a tired sigh. "I was told to be gentle and all it got me was a whole lot of contempt on your end. Let me tell you Wilson, you are definitely not like most girls your age."

Nora just stared at her professor in shock. What the bloody hell was going on? "Once again... what exactly do you want professor?" Nora reiterated slowly.

"I was sent here by Mr. Potter to teach you about the Ministry of Magic," Grant replied in a hushed voice. "Which is something that we ought to keep hushed up, so how about we take this conversation somewhere more private."

"Monroe has already taught me all I need to know about the ministry. So I won't be needing your help," Nora replied dryly.

Grant snorted. "Do you think Cassandra Monroe would have let me inside of this school if she did not know what I was up to? That woman can see inside anyone's head. It's absolutely terrifying sometimes."

Nora pursed her lips together in distaste as she stared at the man in front of her. "So you're telling me that you work for Monroe _and_ Mr. Potter."

"And the Minister of Magic," Grant added. "Now can we please at least go back to my office, so I can talk to you about when we can meet."

"Wait- you work for Sampson?" Nora said in disbelief. "He's the one who wants me out of this school and deported back to Canada, so why the hell would he want to teach me about the ministry?"

Grant let out an exasperated sigh before responding. "And this is why Monroe would like me to teach you who's pulling the strings behind this entire charade that currently has you front and center for the world to see."

Nora shook her head, trying to clear her mind, completely flabbergasted by what she was hearing. "No. I refuse. I will not have private lessons with a man who might be bipolar. Mr. Potter and Monroe would have told me earlier if I was getting secret lessons from my new professor."

"They didn't tell you because this is all supposed to be a secret," Grant replied with a hiss. "Now can we please take this conversation elsewhere before the whole bloody school figures out I'm not just the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"How about this," Nora replied with a mock smile. "You can take your private secret lessons and go riding off into the sunset with them, because I don't need any help. Like I said at the beginning of this wonderful conversation, I'm fine."

"Wilson," Grant said in warning tone.

"Have a wonderful day professor," Nora replied, cutting him off, before turning away from him and hurrying down the hallway.

* * *

"How do you feel about a themed Christmas this year?" Rose asked, as she chewed on the end of her quill.

"Why do we even need a themed Christmas?" Scorpius questioned, looking up from the book he was reading in his chair by the fireplace in their common room.

Rose sighed. "Right then," she replied and then scribbled a large 'no' beside Beatrice Reynolds idea for an 'all white' Christmas. Not that Rose minded axing the idea. If Scorpius had, for some unfathomable reason, decided it was a good idea, both of them would have had to convince poor Flitwick that his decorations weren't modern enough too most students. It wasn't even like it mattered; barely anyone stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas break anyway.

"That is," Scorpius added quickly. "If you think a themed Christmas is a good idea, I'm all for it."

Rose looked up from the piece of parchment she was writing on and couldn't help but give him a small smile. "Don't worry," Rose replied. "I thought it wasn't the greatest idea either, but I promised Beatrice I'd ask you."

"Oh... well good," Scorpius replied awkwardly before returning to his book.

Rose stared at his averted face, still smiling as she tried to figure out what made Scorpius tick. One minute he could be acting cocky and completely insufferable, but if she were ever to say something that he guessed was uncharacteristic of her, he'd become tongue-tied and always try to hide his embarrassment with the shortest response he could think of.

However, there was one thing that was painfully obvious to Rose.

She knew nothing about him.

Sure, she knew that his family wasn't very big and half of them were death eaters. And she definitely knew that her father thought his entire family were a bunch of gits. She might have grown up always competing with him, but even so, she had no idea what he wanted to be once he left Hogwarts, what sort of hobbies he was interested in, or even what his favourite colour was.

Right now, Rose wasn't quite sure how to classify their relationship. Over the past couple of weeks they had developed a sort of tentative friendship that was mostly made up of either short polite conversations or arguments filled with double meanings. Now, what Rose wanted was to actually become some sort of friend to him since becoming his girlfriend was still out of the question.

Rose began to chew on her lip as she recalled the conversation she had had with Nora a couple of days ago.

_"I want to get to know Malfoy a bit better," Rose said suddenly while studying in the library together._

_ "Huh?" Nora replied in confusion._

_ "I know nothing about him and how can I work with him if I have no idea what he likes or dislikes," Rose continued, ignoring the baffled look on Nora's face._

_ "Because we all know it's impossible to work with him without knowing whether he prefers cats or owls," Nora replied sarcastically._

_ "Do you know which one he likes best?" Rose asked eagerly, failing to notice the sarcasm in Nora's voice._

_ "What? Yes I do but-that's beside the point. If you want to know this stuff then why don't you just ask him?" Nora replied in exasperation._

_ "But I don't know how to do that without looking like I'm interested in him for different reasons," Rose replied quickly._

_ Nora gave Rose a look of intense irritation before responding. "Well I guess you're just going to have to take that risk."_

Rose frowned at the memory. That was easy for her to say. She wasn't risking possibly getting Scorpius killed just by going after him and there was still the problem of Zabini's threat of Scorpius always being hers, but she would just have to ignore that for now. Now was as good a time as any. They were both alone in their common room not doing much of anything and the only people who could interrupt them were Monroe and Professor Longbottom.

"Scorpius?" Rose questioned hesitantly. She had decided that she was going to be less formal with him. Apparently using his last name all the time didn't exactly convey the message of friendship.

Scorpius looked up from his book to give her a look of surprise. "Yes," he answered uncertainly.

"I know this is kind of out of the blue – but... what do you want to do after you graduate?"

Scorpius stared at her in confusion, obviously trying to process the fact that Rose seemed to be interested in his life. "I don't understand," he replied, as if he was waiting for her to yell 'just kidding!'

"You know," Rose replied awkwardly. "I plan on applying to become a sort of archaeologist who specializes more in the translating the runes on artefacts, then actually going to find them."

"Oh," Scorpius replied, still giving her an odd look. "Well, I haven't given it much thought but I am interested in what goes on inside the Department of Mysteries – even though we don't really know what goes on in there."

Rose smiled. "So you want to become an unspeakable?"

"Or something like it," Scorpius replied, now more relaxed. "I'm just worried about not being able to get in."

"You have great grades, so you'll be fine," Rose reassured.

"But there's the problem of – never mind," Scorpius began but changed the subject when Rose gave him a confused look.

Rose decided not to press the subject, since he was already looking back down at his book. Well that had been easier than she thought it would be. He'd been surprised by her question, but he had still answered honestly, and she had no idea that was what Scorpius was interested in. Rose stared at him, nibbling on her lip as more questions began to form in the back of her mind.

"How about we play a game of 20 questions?" Rose blurted out before she would have time to convince herself not to.

Now Scorpius looked very surprised. "What?"

"It's a game. I ask you a question then you ask me one, but you only have 20 questions to find out what you want to about the other person. Muggles use it all the time to get to know one another," Rose explained.

"So you're telling me that you want to get to know me better," Scorpius questioned, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes that instantly put Rose on guard.

"Professor Longbottom said it would be easier to work together if we knew a little about each other," Rose lied with a straight face.

"Ah," Scorpius replied with a smirk as he placed the book on his lap on the table in front of him. "So, just to make sure, you can ask me whatever question you want and I can ask you whatever question I want. Right?"

"Right," Rose replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "But we can say pass if we don't want to answer something."

"Well that's not much fun," Scorpius replied jokingly.

"But, someone saying pass to a question can often be seen as an enlightening answer in itself," Rose added.

"Alright," Scorpius said with a grin. "How about we test that theory then?"

Rose fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat as she began to realize that she may not have thought everything through very well.

Scorpius' grin vanished suddenly, his face turning serious. "Why did you end it with White last year?" He asked with an unreadable expression on his face.

Rose was astonished by the bluntness of his question. Why did he want to know about that? Sure, she had never gone into detail with anyone on why she had broken up with Darren last year and she only realized at the end of the year why she had never been able to fall in love with him in the first place, no matter how much she would have liked too. Merlin only knew that if she had fallen for Darren her life would have been a lot easier than it currently was. However, she had to answer the question. The whole point of the game was for her to get to know him better, so if he asked her some uncomfortable questions she would just have to suck it up and do her best to answer them as vaguely as possible.

Rose huffed lightly and gave Scorpius a hard look. "If you have to know, I broke up with him because I didn't fancy him as much as he fancied me," Rose replied. "It wasn't fair to keep the relationship going if I knew my feelings for him were never going to change."

Scorpius continued to stare at her, as if trying to detect some sort of give away that would show him whether or not she was lying. She wasn't lying to him though; she just wasn't going into as much detail as he probably wanted. Rose watched as Scorpius leaned back in his chair, his eyes still watching her. "I see," he replied. "Well that makes sense. So it had nothing to do with anyone in particular?"

Rose gave him a stony look and his grin returned. "No," she replied irritably, "and you're down to eighteen questions now by the way, since you just asked two in a row."

"Duly noted," Scorpius smirked. "So I guess it's your turn."

Rose became thoughtful. What should she ask him? The entire point of this little game was to get to know him a little bit better, but what exactly did she want to know about him? If she got too personal there was the chance he could freeze up and just say pass, but if she never took any risks she could miss out on getting answers to some very juicy questions.

"Ask me a question then," Scorpius offered. "Anything you can think of."

Rose eyed him critically. However, if she started off with just simple questions she might be able to trick him later into revealing some scintillating details. "Alright," Rose said with a grin. "What's your favourite colour?"

Scorpius snorted. "Really? That's your big question? I just asked you why you broke up with White and you ask me what my favourite colour is."

Rose scowled at him from across the table. "Just answer the question you idiot," she snapped.

Scorpius gave her a small smile before answering. "Green."

"Figures," Rose muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Scorpius chuckled under his breath at her reaction. "Before the beginning of this year it used to be blue you know."

"That's nice," Rose said in an uninterested voice.

"Don't you want to know why my favourite colour changed?" Scorpius asked with a grin. Rose frowned. She was actually more interested in why he was grinning like an idiot, so she decided to play along.

"Alright. Why did you change your mind?" she asked.

"You changed my mind."

"Me!" Rose said in surprise.

"Yes," he replied with a smirk.

"Why?" Rose asked warily.

"You changed my mind at last year's New Years Eve Gala. I decided from the moment I saw you in that dress that Nora made -which you looked bloody amazing in by the way- that I would always love the colour green more than any other," Scorpius said seriously as he stared into Rose's wide eyes.

Rose stared at Scorpius, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, completely lost for words. "Oh."

Scorpius smirked at her reaction. "By the way, you just asked three questions in a row, so you're down to seventeen now."

Rose just gawked at him, producing a loud laugh from Scorpius causing her to instantly retaliate with the worst glare she could possibly come up with.

* * *

Several minutes of innocuous questions later, Rose had gotten no further in her plan to find out Scorpius' deep dark secrets than she had been when she had thought up this stupid game. Every time she thought she was going to surprise him with a personal question that he would have to answer in some way, she would, for some unknown reason, ask him if he had ever had any pets growing up. Not only was that part of her plan backfiring but Scorpius seemed to be enjoying the entire ordeal immensely. He had even asked her, in a completely serious voice, how far she had ever gone with a guy, which she had immediately refused to comment on. Now they were both on their last questions and Rose knew it was either now or never. She had to ask him at least one question that would make him at least a little flustered.

"Oi, Weasley. It's your turn," Scorpius said, lifting Rose from her thoughts.

"Right," Rose said distractedly before she began to rack her brains for the right question.

"Remember this is your last question, so feel free to ask whatever you like," Scorpius said with a grin. "You still haven't asked me whether or not I prefer apples or oranges."

Rose shot him a withering look and continued to think. Now what was it that she wanted to know the most about him?

Rose looked over at him hesitantly and he grinned. "I'm waiting. Give me your best shot, Weasley."

Rose chewed on her lip nervously, the question already floating around in her mind. Just do it, Rose. You've been asking him about his favourite everything for the past half hour; he's definitely not expecting anything personal.

"Why – um...," Rose hesitated, while staring down at her hands. "Why did you..." Come on, Rose. Get it together. Rose took a deep breath in and out and raised her head, her expression serious. Scorpius noticed her change in expression and he sat up slightly as Rose opened her mouth again. "Why did you try to kiss me those two times last year?" Rose asked.

Scorpius just stared at her, his wide eyes locked with hers. Rose watched him open his mouth to say something but he quickly closed it and looked away from her serious expression. "I was just being an idiot," he mumbled under his breath, while looking anywhere but at her.

Rose went from hesitant to angry in a matter of seconds. "What do you mean you were being an idiot?" Rose exclaimed.

"Just drop it, Weasley," Scorpius muttered angrily before getting up from his seat in an obvious attempt to run away from the situation that was about to unfold.

"I will not," Rose shouted, shooting up from her seat. "This has been bothering me for months and I know I wasn't seeing things. You tried to kiss me once when I was still with Darren and you would have kissed me at the end of last year if you hadn't been interrupted by a psychopath. So I demand to know why you tried to kiss me. Twice!"

Scorpius rounded on her, his expression wild. "Alright. I have one more question. Did you even want me to kiss you?"

Rose stared at him in surprise. "Well, no but-," Rose spluttered, trying to think up a proper answer to his question.

"So why do you give a damn?" Scorpius yelled.

"Why do I give a damn?" Rose questioned in astonishment. "You tried to kiss me! There has to be a reason why you thought that was a good idea."

Scorpius just shook his head in frustration and turned away from her. "And I told you I was being an idiot. You don't want me, so it's a good thing nothing happened. So how about we end this conversation before we say something we'll regret."

Rose stared at Scorpius in enraged astonishment as he began to walk towards the staircase that lead up to his room. How dare he say something like that and then walk away from her? "Who said I didn't want you?" Rose exclaimed in a hysterical voice.

Scorpius immediately froze where he stood at the foot of the stairs and Rose didn't need to see his face to know that he was surprised. Hell, she was surprised too but for some reason she didn't feel like stopping. "You asked me if I wanted you to kiss me last year and my answer was no, because I didn't then. Well, actually I might have – but I'm still not all that positive if that's true," Rose rambled. "But something's changed, and I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to describe it, but I'm pretty sure if you tried to kiss me right now... I'd let you."

The silence that enveloped the room was almost stifling. Like the calm before a storm, Rose stood in the middle of the common room holding her breath as she waited for Scorpius to say something, almost as if she were bracing herself for the first clap of thunder and the torrential downpour that would follow it.

"Scorpius?" Rose asked tentatively, his hand shaking slightly when she said his name. "Say something." But he didn't. He didn't even move. He just stood at the foot of the stairs as still as a marble statue on display in a museum; cold and too far away to touch. A ball of dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Please," Rose pleaded.

Scorpius turned his head slightly, just enough for Rose to see the unreadable expression he always wore when he didn't want to let anyone see how he was really feeling, but still he didn't say anything. He just stared at her over his shoulder for another strained moment before turning away from her and bounding up the stairs to his room.

Rose sunk back into her seat, completely lost for words. What just happened? What had she just done? She could feel the tears coming and she tried in vain to blink them back. Rose buried her head in her hands, knowing full well that she had just opened the floodgates on her relationship with Scorpius and there was no turning back now.

* * *

A/N - Well this doesn't look very good does it. But do not worry my friends, it will not last long. That is a promise. And we have also learned a few new things about Hogwarts newest professor. Anyway, I am deeply sorry for not updating sooner but a whole bunch of different things prevented me from making a speedy update to the last chapter. I hope to have the next chapter up around Halloween since that's when Chapter 10 is taking place but I make no promises. Please read and review as always. Ciao.


	10. Let's Be Honest

Chapter 10 – Let's Be Honest

Disclaimer - Harry Potter does not belong to me, he belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

"Did you find out what's wrong with her?" Alice whispered.

"No, I still have no bloody idea what happened to her, but Nora said she would look into it," Dave replied.

"Well I hope she figures out what's wrong with her soon. She's been like this for over a week and she's really starting to scare the younger kids."

"She hasn't been that bad," Dave said.

"You didn't see what she did to these two third years yesterday. She had them in tears by the time she was done yelling at them," Alice insisted.

"No way, I thought that was a rumour," Dave said in surprise. "I heard they had to go see Madam Penny because they were hysterical afterwards."

Rose could no longer remain silent. It was as if they actually had no idea she could hear them and she was literally walking right in front of them. Rose turned her head and fixed her two friends with murderous looks, while still walking towards the Great Hall. "Would you two kindly shut the hell up?" Rose asked in a sickly sweet voice.

Both Alice and Dave jumped in surprise at the sound of her voice and stopped walking.

"Er-," Alice began but Rose was not in the mood to stop and hear what she had to say.

She knew that she'd been acting like a bitch for the past week, but inside her head she felt that

she had a perfectly good reason for doing so. Who wouldn't want to take out their anger after being rejected by a bloke who chose the modern day version of Medusa over herself, a perfectly normal 17 year old teenage witch. Granted, she was temperamental and had a flair for the dramatics, but at least she wasn't a giant slut.

Rose stomped into the Great Hall, keeping her eyes averted from the Slytherin table. She honestly had no idea if Scorpius was sitting there at that moment, or not, but she had been playing it safe for the past week or so. In Potions class, the two of them sat in silence, while doing their work so quickly and efficiently that they were beginning to resemble robots. Any head work they had was done separately and would only be combined when they were forced to be in the same room as each other. It was only in their last prefect meeting where it was made clear to all the prefects that something monumental had happened between them and rumours had been flying around the school ever since, varying from Scorpius had done better than her on a test, to how they were plotting how to kill each other before the other did. However, Rose could not help but laugh inside her head over how no one even seemed to think that she had basically told Scorpius that she fancied him, since pretty much the entire school truly believed that something like that could never happen in a million years.

Rose gritted her teeth as she sank into a seat at the Gryffindor table. How could she have been so stupid? She had told Scorpius that she wanted him and he had said nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had spent that entire night crying into her pillow and the next day in a haze. She could honestly not believe that she had been rejected. Why? Well, she wasn't sure. Maybe there was still some insane thought ingrained in her mind that still had her believing that all of that constant flirting was because he fancied her, not because he was playing with her head. But after the day where it had felt as if she were literally living inside a dense mass of fog, the storm clouds began to roll in.

She had never been so furious in her entire life. He hadn't even given her an answer. It had been over a week since that night and he had yet to say a single meaningful word to her. There was no way a person could stay surprised for over a week and a half and there was no one she could ask for advice about the situation, mostly because either no one would ever believe her and if they did, well, she would never hear the end of it.

Alice and David, having caught up with her, took their seats opposite from Rose at the table, both of them giving her matching looks of caution.

"We are both very sorry for being so insensitive, Rose," Alice apologized slowly, while David nodded his head vigorously next to her. "And we promise to never do something like that again."

Rose gave them both exasperated looks. "It's fine," she said with a sigh. "Don't worry about it."

The couple breathed a sigh of relief almost in unison and Rose couldn't help but feel even more

depressed. How was it that the two of them could have a normal relationship and she couldn't? Alice had never once complained to her about David not answering important questions, causing her to suffer endlessly, and their parents definitely didn't hate each other. Then again, Dave was the only son of a well respected wizarding family and Rose was pretty sure he had no idea how to be mysterious.

"Do you have any plans today Rose? After all it is Halloween," Alice asked cheerfully.

Rose gave her friend a confused look. What was she talking about? All of them usually just went to Hogsmeade together and had fun on Halloween. In fact, Rose was able to be somewhat tolerable to be around for the past few days because she had been looking forward to a day out with her friends in the hopes that it would be able to cheer her up a little. "What do you mean?" Rose questioned, giving her a puzzled look. "We all go out together on Halloween."

Alice and Dave's eyes both widened in alarm at Rose's statement and they both began to splutter answers that Rose could barely make sense of.

"Well you see…," Alice began.

"Alice kind of… wanted to do something different this year," Dave added.

"Not that what we usually do isn't a lot of fun," Alice put in quickly.

"So she managed – somehow - to convince Al and Nora to go on a sort of… double date today," Dave finished.

"And I swear we already told you this, but you can hang out with Andy today since he'll have no one to go with," Alice offered.

"I thought Andy had a date," Dave replied with a thoughtful look. "Remember, he was going on about the girl he was going to be seeing yesterday and how she had huge -."

Rose watched Alice slap a hand over Dave's mouth before laughing nervously in Rose's direction, but she no longer cared. She had been miserable for so long, her friends were starting to avoid her and she didn't blame them. Her life had turned into one of those muggle soap operas who's characters she always made fun of for being stupid enough to get themselves into such unlikely situations and now, as if completely by accident, she was one of those characters.

"It's fine you two," Rose said, trying to act upbeat but failing miserably at it. "Just go have a good time today and don't worry about me. I'll just stick around the castle and make sure everything is in order for the feast tonight."

"Oh Rose, you don't have to do that," Alice replied. "I can postpone the double date and we can all just hang out together."

"No," Rose said. "I'll be fine. You four have fun today and tell Andy I hope that his date goes well. Besides I'll see you all at the feast tonight anyway."

"Oh come on, Rosie," Dave protested. "Alice is willing to let this double date thing go just for you. You should come. It will probably help you take your mind off of… whatever it is that's bothering you."

Rose shook her head and stood up from her seat at the table. "I'm the one who's been acting like an irritable cow this last week and you all have had to put up with it, so keep your plans and I'll just do something else today."

"If you would just tell us what happened, I'm sure -," Alice began but Rose quickly cut her off.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't want to talk about it," she insisted. "I'll see you lot tonight."

"Bye," Alice said glumly as Rose turned away from her friends and hurried out of the hall.

* * *

Rose, after crying for probably the eighth time that week over how pathetic she was, had taken up office in an empty classroom as she tried to decide what she was going to do with the rest of her day. This classroom in particular overlooked the area where students went to be picked up by the thestral drawn carriages that took them to Hogsmeade. Rose had already watched her friends depart the castle, which she was happy about. She hoped she hadn't ruined Alice's day by refusing to come with them, but it would have been selfish of her to force everyone into changing their plans. Especially when it was obvious that Rose hadn't been paying attention to Alice when she had told her about the change.

Now, Rose was surveying the empty classroom from the seat at the teacher's desk as she tried to recall if she had anything important to do. Unfortunately, all of her homework and head duties were finished for now and Rose knew for a fact that the only thing she could fix right now was her relationship with Scorpius. Rose was about to begin thinking up a clever plan to convince Scorpius that she had been drunk the night she had told him she wanted him to kiss her, when the sound of familiar voices travelling quickly down the hallway brought her out of her thoughts.

"Would you hurry up," a girl snapped. "I don't have all bloody day you know."

"Fine," a guy sighed. "How about we go in that classroom, it looks empty."

Rose let out a squeak of horror. Did they mean this empty classroom? While she hadn't looked in the mirror recently, she was pretty sure her little crying episode had streaked mascara all down her face and she was not in the mood to be caught looking like some creature that had emerged from the Black Lake. She was the head girl after all; she had an image to maintain. Rose looked around frantically for a place to hide and just as she saw the shadows of the approaching people in question, she slipped off of her chair and dove underneath the teacher's desk she had been sitting at, hitting her head in the process.

Rose clamped her mouth shut, stifling a yelp of pain, when the two people, who had been in the hall, walked into the room and closed the door behind them.

"Do you have what I asked for?" the girl asked icily. "Scorpius is waiting for me downstairs and if I don't get there in the next 10 minutes, he'll come looking for me."

Rose's eyes widened as she instantly recognized the voice. Zabini! But who the hell was she with? Rose scooted forward slightly, trying to turn her body to a more comfortable position.

"Yes, I have it," the guy sighed wearily and a jangling noise filled the air of the room. "But what do I get in return?" Rose wanted desperately to see who was talking but she wasn't about to stick her head from her hiding spot, since she had no clue where Zabini and her mystery friend were standing.

"Well," Zabini said, her voice suddenly turning seductive, the sound of rustling fabric filling the air as she spoke. "I'm sure I could come up with something that could please you, Knight."

Knight? As in Anwar Knight? The annoyingly rich Slytherin 7th year who claimed he was a descendant of Persian kings and walked as if he had something stuck up his behind. That Anwar Knight! What the bloody hell was Zabini doing with him when she had Scorpius Malfoy?

"That's what I like to hear," Knight answered in a way that made Rose think he was salivating. She gagged at the thought.

Zabini chuckled at his answer. "Well, we have to get going, but it was a pleasure doing business with you. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other later."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure we will," Knight replied as, Rose assumed, Zabini made her way to the classroom door. "But I was wondering something."

The sound of footsteps heading for the door stopped abruptly. "And what exactly were you wondering about?" Zabini asked silkily.

"Aren't you worried Scorpius is going to find out? He's not a fool. I'm actually amazed that he hasn't figured out about your situation already," Knight laughed.

"Please," Zabini snorted. "His mind is so far from reality that it's amazing he has any idea what goes on right in front of his face. All I have to do is get a permanent place in his family and all of my problems are solved."

"Whatever you say," Knight said in a bored voice. "Let's get out of here. We wouldn't want to keep Scorpius waiting."

"Shut it, Knight," Zabini snapped before walking towards the door and opening it. Rose sat absolutely still in her hiding spot, holding her breath as she heard Knight and Zabini leave the room together, the echoes of their footsteps getting quieter as they walked down the hallway and away from the room. Rose didn't crawl out from underneath the desk until the hall outside was absolutely silent. Once she was back on her feet, she flopped back into the chair she had been in before Knight and Zabini had walked into the room. What the bloody hell was that all about? What had Knight given Zabini that she was obviously planning on repaying him with more than just a kiss on the cheek? And who the hell would even think about cheating on Scorpius Malfoy with Anwar Knight of all people? Rose had seen Scorpius half naked and she could easily admit to herself that it was one of the reasons why she fancied him. But the biggest question was… did Scorpius actually not know what his girlfriend was up to?

If Rose had to guess, her answer would be no, but she had been surprised several times, so for all she knew Scorpius knew exactly what Zabini was up to and was just saving the information to use against her at a later date. Apparently Slytherin's loved playing those kinds of mind games with each other, but Rose had yet to find them all that entertaining.

However, now she was faced with a much larger problem. Did she tell Scorpius about what she had just heard? Rose wasn't even sure he would believe her. It wasn't like she had actually seen anything or knew what the hell was going on. Zabini had never actually stated that she was planning on fooling around with Knight and if she was, Rose had no idea what Zabini was getting out of this whole charade. Whatever Knight had given her had jangled in a way that reminded Rose of the sound of money clattering together, but that didn't make any sense because the last time Rose checked Zabini's family had quite a bit of money, maybe not as much as Anwar Knight's, but they definitely had some to spare.

At least that was what she had been told.

Rose sighed loudly, her thoughts more muddled than ever. Perhaps she should leave off telling Scorpius about what she had heard until after they were on speaking terms again and instead she could just tell Nora or Alice what had happened. For now, she would forget about what she had heard and try to come up with a way to apologize to her friends, and maybe think up a way to talk to Scorpius that wouldn't end with her hitting him.

Or losing him completely.

* * *

"Am I right, Scorpius?" Tatiana asked suddenly causing Scorpius to blink in surprise.

He and his friends were currently seated at one of the booths in the Three Broomsticks, which was busy enough that Halloween for him to easily to slip into his thoughts without being noticed by the people around him.

"What?" he asked in confusion, showing everyone around him that he had not been paying attention to the conversation. Tatiana just shot him a menacing look and turned back to her conversation with Marina, causing both Anwar and Alec Goyle to snicker at his misfortune. Scorpius shot them both dirty looks, shutting them up instantly, before settling back into his thoughts.

He frowned inwardly as he remembered his last conversation with Rose. He could recall every detail of the entire thing as if it were still going on around him.

"_I'm pretty sure if you tried to kiss me right now... I'd let you." _

His face hardened as he remembered her exact words and the vulnerable confused look on her face after she had let them slip. And he hadn't said a word in response.

He still wasn't sure why he hadn't responded. There was still a part of him that believed that the entire conversation hadn't even happened. But the thing that bothered him the most about all of this was why was it now that she suddenly wanted him? Especially after the way she had been acting for the past couple of months. One week she'd be acting friendly and inviting towards him, and the next she would be giving him the cold shoulder. So, while he wasn't sure why, when she practically told him that she fancied him... he hadn't quite believed her. He was even having the sick twisted thought that he wanted her to work for him. He didn't want her to say that she maybe fancied him, no; he wanted her to be damn sure she wanted him before he threw all of his common sense out the window.

Scorpius' brow furrowed at his thoughts. Unfortunately, his decision had resulted in hurting Rose. He knew he had made her cry and now he didn't know what to do to make it up to her. Especially now that she had gone from being depressed, to absolutely livid, but what could he do to fix this? He couldn't just come out and tell her that he wanted a more clear and concise answer about her feelings before they did anything. She'd definitely hex him to the point where he was unrecognizable if he ever said anything like that.

And there was also another problem. Scorpius' eyes slid warily in Tatiana's direction, but luckily she was so wrapped up in her conversation with Marina she didn't notice him staring at her. He knew he had to officially break up with her. There was no reason why they should stay together anymore. They didn't even like each other. To be honest, he had no idea why Tatiana hadn't tossed him aside herself already.

The sound of the bell at the front door of the Three Broomstick's ringing brought Scorpius from his thoughts long enough for him to look over and see who had entered the pub. Scorpius grinned when he saw Nora, wearing an overly exasperated expression, walking in with Potter, Alice Longbottom and David Tennet. Nora had been complaining all yesterday about how Alice had managed to convince her to agree to a double date with both her and Tennet, claiming that Alice was sneakier than she looked and she had ambushed Nora when she was half asleep in order to get her to agree.

Nora's eyes drifted over to where Scorpius was and her gaze hardened before lifting a hand and pointing towards the bathrooms as Alice pushed her towards a vacant booth in the back of the pub. Scorpius sighed and nodded in response as he watched her cross the room, followed by Tennet and Potter. Scorpius stood up from his seat, startling everyone he was sitting with.

"Where are you going?" Anwar asked in a bored voice.

"Bathroom," he replied distractedly as he got out of the booth, ignoring the disapproving look Tatiana was giving him.

Scorpius pushed his way through the throngs of people gathered in the pub towards where the bathrooms were located, noting that Nora had somehow managed to get to the hall by the bathrooms before him.

"How the bloody hell did you get here before me?" Scorpius asked in confusion, staring at his slightly tired looking friend.

"Oh do not underestimate a properly motivated woman, Scorpius, my friend," Nora said in a worn out voice. "We can do anything when given the proper incentive."

"So I'm guessing you're enjoying yourself," Scorpius chuckled.

"I'm just not good at these kinds of things," Nora replied in frustration. "There to...

"Normal," Scorpius finished, earning him a dark look. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

Nora's face instantly became serious. "You know exactly what I want to talk about Scorpius Malfoy. I'm stressed enough with school, quidditch, pretending to be normal and being constantly harassed by Professor Grant. I am not in the mood to fix your problems as well."

"You're being harassed by Professor Grant?" Scorpius said in bewilderment. "Why?"

"Don't change the subject," Nora snapped. "Just apologize to Rose before she makes any other kids cry. I honestly do not care what you did to make her like this at the moment, but I would adore it if this would all go away very quickly."

Scorpius frowned at her statement. "It's not that easy Nora," he said in hushed voice as a group of girls pushed past them towards the girl's washroom, each one of them staring at the two of them with interest. "I have no idea how I'm supposed to fix this."

"I don't care," Nora retorted. "Rose is probably wallowing in her misery back at the castle as we speak, and she will probably continue to do so, until you do something about it."

"She's not here?" Scorpius questioned in surprise.

"Does it look like she came with us," Nora said sarcastically. "And Andy had a date with some girl, so he's busy today as well, so it's no wonder she decided to stay at the castle."

"Damn it," Scorpius swore guiltily.

"My thoughts exactly," Nora said patting him on the arm supportively. "Anyway, I have to get back before Alice hunts me down, so good luck with everything."

"Nora, I don't -," Scorpius began but he was silenced by Nora's hand over his mouth.

"Stop thinking so much Scorpius and just be honest with her," Nora said with a smile, taking her hand off his mouth. "I'll talk to you later."

Scorpius watched dejectedly as Nora walked away and headed back into the crowded pub. She was right. He needed to stop thinking and just act on instincts. Otherwise he was never going to have enough courage to talk to Rose.

"After dinner then," he mumbled under his breath as he began his trek back to his booth. "I'll talk to Rose then."

* * *

Rose's eyes popped open suddenly as a loud thud woke her. Confused and tired, Rose rolled over in her bed to check the time.

8:47 PM.

"Shit," Rose swore, rolling back over on to her back to stare at the canopy hanging over her bed. After deciding to ignore the conversation she had overheard between Zabini and Anwar Knight, Rose had made her way back to her dorm room, where she had agonized for hours on how to possibly convince Scorpius, without pissing him off, that what she had told him a week and a half ago had been an elaborate practical joke. After getting nowhere with that task, she had decided to begin re-reading _Hogwarts: A History_ and somewhere between chapters five and six she had fallen asleep, allowing her to miss the Halloween feast; the one thing that probably would have been able to make this miserable day slightly less so.

Rose sat up with a yawn and began to search her room for whatever had woke her up, her eyes stopping when she noticed her _Hogwarts: A History_ book splayed out on the floor in a way Rose was sure she hadn't left it. She sighed as she got off the top of her bed and picked up her book; placing it on her bedside table, as she tried to figure out what she should do next.

The feast was most likely over by now or just about to be, so it would be useless for her to go now. However, as indicated by her rumbling stomach, she was quite hungry so a trip to the kitchens seemed like a very good idea at this point.

After slipping on a pair of slippers and putting her unkempt hair up in a messy bun, Rose descended down her staircase into the common room; silently pondering how much chocolate she would be able eat without making herself sick.

"Rose?" Someone suddenly greeted.

"Merlin's beard!" She shrieked, whirling around to see who had said her name, only to find Scorpius staring at her with a sheepish look from one of the arm chairs by the fire. "Oh, it's you," Rose huffed, completely forgetting to be nice to him. She couldn't help it. He always managed to bring out the worst in her.

"Sorry 'bout that," Scorpius apologized awkwardly while getting up from his seat. "I didn't know you were upstairs."

"Good to know," Rose said sharply, turning away from him and heading towards the portrait hole, wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible. For some reason, he looked incredibly good looking with his hair all mussed up from, what she guessed, was him constantly running a hand through it.

"Wait," Scorpius said suddenly, causing Rose to stop abruptly. "I wanted to talk to you."

Rose stiffened at his words. What did he just say? Rose turned to look at him, while silently telling herself that it was good he was talking to her, so she really shouldn't mess it up by throwing something at his head. "You wanted to talk to me?" She questioned in a strained voice.

"Ya," Scorpius replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "About last week."

Rose's expression instantly turned sour. "Last week," Rose laughed bitterly as the memory of him turning his back on her came rushing back. "Well, since you're so worried about it, I'll have you know that I take back everything I said. So we really have nothing to talk about."

So much for being nice.

"Okay, wait a minute," Scorpius replied. "I understand why you're upset and you have every right to be, but could you please hear me out."

Rose stared at him for a moment, wondering if the window to run away was still open, but her curiosity won in the end. "Fine," she said resentfully, crossing her arms over her chest protectively; subconsciously preparing herself to be hurt.

Scorpius seemed thankful that she had decided to hear him out but his relief quickly vanished

when he noticed her dark expression.

Scorpius took a deep breath in and ran a hand through his hair, making it even more dishevelled looking. "How do I start," he mumbled more to himself then to her. "Nora told me to be honest."

"You told Nora about this!" Rose said in alarm.

Scorpius lifted his hands as a sign for her to calm down. "No, no, she just assumed that we got into a fight, or something, and I asked her for advice," Scorpius explained quickly. Rose found his explanation suitable for the time being and backed down, allowing him to continue.

Scorpius ran his hand through his hair again and Rose couldn't help but notice that maybe he was a bit nervous. "Okay," he said firmly before lifting his head so that he was staring directly into Rose's eyes, his meaningful gaze making her slightly uncomfortable. "Rose," he said slowly, his voice becoming deep and serious. "I'm in love with you."

Rose blinked. "What?"

Scorpius grumbled something unintelligible under his breath before giving her an uncomfortable look, his usually pale cheeks turning pink with embarrassment. "I'm in love with you."

Rose was pretty sure her mouth was hanging open from shock, as a rush of emotions hit her like a bludger to the back of the head. She walked, her eyes never leaving his, towards the nearest armchair and sat on its arm in order to support herself. She had never been more confused in her life. How could someone be elated, bewildered, terrified, and angry all at the same time? What was she even supposed to say in return? This was something she had wanted to hear for months but at the same time, nothing was making any sense. "I- I don't understand," Rose managed to reply, slightly breathless.

"I don't know when everything started," Scorpius admitted, looking slightly confused himself. "Hell, I don't even know how it happened. Every part of me told me that loving you was probably the stupidest thing I could ever let myself get into and I tried to ignore you, I tried belittling you, I even tried to be your friend, but it's no use. You're so bloody unfathomable that I swear you've become the only damn thing I think about and when I hear other blokes talking about you in more than a friendly way, I instantly want to throttle them. " He paused, his gaze becoming almost hungry looking before he continued, but he stayed rooted to his spot in the middle of the room. "I'm always wondering what you're thinking, I hate when I think I've hurt you, and sometimes I literally struggle to keep my hands off of you," Scorpius paused again. "And every time I try to get over you, and leave you behind, you do something or say something that pulls me right back to you." He paused, taking a small step towards her; his gaze filled with longing. "I want you... and I don't want anyone else to have you."

Rose blushed at the intensity of his speech, but she was still utterly confused. If he wanted her so badly then why hadn't he at least responded to her a week and a half ago? Was he playing hard to get? Were blokes even supposed to do that?

"But why didn't you tell me this last week?" Rose asked. "And why are you still with Zabini? None of this makes any sense Scorpius."

Scorpius looked away from her, his expression frustrated. "I didn't tell you this last week because I'm not sure of something." he admitted. "And Tatiana and I have been over for awhile."

Rose got up from her seat and walked towards him, leaving less than a metre's distance between them; confusion and anger welling up inside of her. "How can the two of you be over, if you're still together? And what aren't you sure of? You just told me that you loved me and now you're not sure!" Rose yelled in confusion.

Scorpius rounded on her, his expression solemn. "Rose, I am completely sure about my feelings for you," he replied. "It's you that I'm worried about."

"Me?" Rose questioned in disbelief. "I already told you that I wanted you to kiss me."  
"But that just isn't good enough, Rose!" Scorpius shot back.

Rose just gawked at him. "What the bloody hell does that mean?"

Scorpius groaned in frustration and walked a few steps away from her. "I don't know," he replied.

"You don't know?" Rose replied, her voice slightly hysterical. "What exactly do you want from me then? A written response? A song and dance routine?"

"No!" Scorpius bellowed. "But I feel like I can't do anything with you until you – until you..."

"Until I do what?" Rose asked shortly.

Scorpius suddenly seemed to snap and he strode towards her so that they were only a mere couple of inches apart, grasping both of her arms firmly as he stared down at her; his eyes wild with emotion. "Until you admit that you want me!" He exclaimed. "I want you to say it out loud. I want you to accept that I'm not the perfect guy you read about in books and that you're ready to deal with all the crap that would come along with me being in your life. I want you to be sure so I can be!"

Rose stared at him with wide-eyes. What was she supposed to say back to that? It was true that she had never been all that specific about her feelings for him and she could understand why he wasn't sure about how she felt towards him. And while she was upset that he thought there was the possibility she was playing with him, he had still been honest with her. So the least she could do was be honest with him.

"Alright," Rose replied in a slightly hushed voice, her heart beating so loud she was sure Scorpius could hear it. "I'll be honest with you," she paused, taking a deep breath before confidently continuing and Scorpius pulled his hands from her arms. "For the longest time I had no idea exactly how I felt about you. One minute I find you absolutely aggravating, and the next minute all I want to do is just be close to you. I'm well aware that being in any sort of relationship with you will be hard. I tried using that reason to turn off my feelings for you, but, look how well that turned out," Rose laughed ruefully. "But I'm ready to start proving people wrong. I also know you're not perfect and, to be honest, I think that may be one of the reasons why I'm so drawn to you, since half of my family are considered to be prime examples of how wizards and witches should act in order to be seen as perfect members of society. It can be horribly suffocating at times to have to deal with that day in and day out. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is, that I don't care what anyone else thinks anymore, because it's obvious that if I keep living by everyone else's standards, then I'm never going to be happy. So, I am 100% sure that what I am about to say is completely true." Rose said shifting nervously where she was standing as Scorpius stared down at her in shock. Rose took a deep breath in and looked directly into Scorpius' eyes before speaking. "I... I'm in love with you to, Scorpius Malfoy."

Scorpius stared down at her with a glazed look on his face, the only indication that he had heard what she had said being the fact that his mouth had parted slightly from shock. Rose fidgeted slightly, giving him an awkward look. "Um... Scorpius? I understand that what I just told isn't something you hear every day, but could we please try not to make a habit out of me confessing embarrassing personal feelings and you then not saying anything in return," Rose rambled as nervousness began to set in. "But after all, you are entitled to do whatever you want. I totally promise not to be one of those overly controlling-."

"Shut up," Scorpius muttered in a dazed voice.

"What?" Rose said in surprise.

"You're ruining the moment," Scorpius laughed to himself.

"I'm ruining the moment," She replied irritably. "You're the one-!"

Rose was quickly silenced by Scorpius' hands grabbing a hold of her face and quickly pulling her lips to his. The effect was instantaneous. As soon as Scorpius' lips touched her own, Rose felt as if someone had just knocked her legs out from under her and the only thing keeping her standing were Scorpius' hands on her face. Reading her thoughts, Scorpius removed his hands, and lips, and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up so that she had to wrap her legs around his middle and her arms around his neck in order not to fall. Before Rose could protest or even comprehend what was going on, Scorpius had reattached his lips to hers, his arms keeping her supported, while kissing her in a way she had never been kissed before. Rose felt so light-headed and inexplicably happy that she couldn't help but laugh at the hilarity of the situation as she vigorously kissed him back. Why exactly hadn't she done this before again? Oh, who cared? She was snogging Scorpius Malfoy for the first bloody time and hell, she was going to make it memorable. Rose's hands wound their way into Scorpius' hair, pushing his lips harder against hers, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him.

Rose grinned in response.

* * *

A/N - Everyone together now. YAAAAYYYYYYY! So they're finally together just as many of you have wanted for quite some time. After all, this relationship has been developing for 40 chapters. Please read and review as always. I love your feedback and I will try to update as soon as possible but school is quite busy at the moment. Toodles :)


	11. The Other Woman

Chapter 11 – The Other Woman

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is not mine, he belongs to J.K. Rowling still since the wish I made on New Year's eve did not come true *tear*.

* * *

Rose could not quite describe in words how she was feeling. She'd tried, really she had. She'd even pulled out her muggle thesaurus to look up the word happy, but none of the words could even come close to how she was feeling. She literally felt as if she was floating on air and nothing could pull her off of the cloud she was currently living on.

For the past week and a half, Rose and Scorpius had been spending as much of their spare time together as possible without raising the suspicions of their friends. So far, Rose was pretty sure no one had a clue what she was getting up to in her spare time, partially because when she told them she was going to meet Scorpius somewhere, they all just assumed it was for head work and not to go snog him in a broom closet.

Rose sighed at the thought. Merlin, he was such a good kisser.

"Rose!" Andy shouted suddenly into her ear, causing her to jump in her seat.

"Huh?" she responded dazedly.

"Merlin, what the hell is wrong with you?" he complained. "This is the third time you've zoned out in the past half hour. You promised you would help me with my transfiguration essay and all you're doing is staring off into space with this weird look in your eyes."

Rose cleared her throat in embarrassment but thankfully Alice turned Andy's attention away from her before he could notice her expression. "Exactly when did she promise that?" Alice replied. "Besides, you just showed up a half an hour ago while we were quietly studying alone here in the library, raving about how screwed you were."

"Whatever," Andy replied, ignoring Alice and turning to look at Rose with a large friendly smile on his face. "I just thought that since you're in such a good mood these days, you'd look at my essay and maybe tweak it a bit, add a few sentences here and there or, maybe, rewrite my whole introduction since I desperately need a good mark on this paper."

Rose gave Andy an exasperated look before holding out her hand.

Andy's expression instantly turned gleeful. "Thank you Rosie. You are the greatest bloody friend a bloke could ever ask for," he gushed as he pulled a slightly crumpled roll of parchment from nowhere and placed it in her outstretched hand.

"Yes, yes, I know," Rose said with a wave of her hand as she unrolled the piece of parchment and began to read.

"He's right you know," Alice said suddenly.

"About what," Rose replied distractedly, while grabbing her quill from the table and scratching out a sentence from Andy's essay.

"That you've been in such a good mood lately," Alice answered. "And so suddenly too. One minute you were making kids cry and the next you're smiling all the time and actually willingly doing Andy's homework."

Rose pretended to not be fazed by Alice's observation and continued reading the essay in front of her. "I was just having a bad week, that's all."

"Malfoy's been in a good mood too," Andy said, leaning back in his chair. "I swear I saw him smiling to himself the other day. It was creepy as hell."

Rose suppressed the urge to give Andy a dirty look and kept her eyes glued to his parchment. If there was one thing she wasn't ready for, it was telling her friends that she was in a relationship with Scorpius. She could already hear the sarcastic comments and see the shocked faces of disbelief, so it was no wonder she was in no hurry to tell them. However, there was still one other reason why Scorpius and her had not told anyone about them. Zabini.

She knew she'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying the fact that Zabini had obviously lost her claim on Scorpius. Hell, when she had seen Zabini for the first time after snogging Scorpius in their common room, and then his bedroom, and the bathroom the next morning, she couldn't help but grinning like a maniac at her. She had won and all she had wanted to do was gloat about it without actually revealing to Zabini that she was gloating about something that involved her. So, since being subtle had never been one of her strongest attributes, Rose was pretty sure Zabini knew what she was getting up to in her spare time. But it wasn't all her fault. Andy was right. Scorpius was acting far too cheerful for a bloke who was supposed to be stuck in a loveless relationship. It wasn't like she didn't mind him smiling, but he was being incredibly obvious that his life wasn't as horrible as people thought it was.

"I noticed that too," Alice replied. "He started acting like this about a week or so ago."

"Ya, about the same time Rose stopped acting like such a git," Andy replied casually, causing Rose's head to snap up in surprise.

While Andy hadn't noticed at all that what he had just said was related to Alice's statement, Alice definitely had, since she currently appeared to be processing Andy's words.

"Er-," Rose said, her voice slightly panicked. "Andy! How is it outside? I heard it was going to rain."

Andy gave her a bewildered look. "It's cold, but no rain. Why are you talking so loud?"

Rose laughed nervously as she glanced at Alice, who was now looking at Rose curiously. Oh crap. "You're hilarious Andy," Rose replied lamely, looking around the room for an escape route. "But I just realized that I completely forgot to give Longbottom my prefect evaluation report for the last week, so I really should be going."

"But what about my essay?" Andy protested as Rose hurriedly got out of her seat.

"You told me that you only have to hand prefect evaluation reports every month," Alice said, her eyes narrowed at Rose.

Rose ground her teeth together in frustration as she packed her things into her bag. "Well I was wrong." Rose snatched up Andy's essay and waved it in his face before stuffing it into her book bag. "And I will take this with me if it will make you feel any better."

"It does," Andy replied childishly, earning him a hard look from Alice before she focused her attention on Rose.

"Rose Weasley," Alice said sternly. "What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," Rose laughed loudly. "But I must dash. See the two of you at dinner."

Alice opened her mouth to say something else but Rose pivoted on her heel and rushed away, humming to herself, so as to drown out Alice's voice. If she hadn't heard the question, she could easily pretend like it had never been asked.

Rose had known that it would only be a matter of time before one of her friends had caught on to what was going on and she had guessed that it was going to be Alice. Nora was too wrapped up in her own life to notice anything else outside of it and Al was too busy being worried about Nora's life to also notice anything around him, which left Greg and Andy. While they both weren't idiots, they were still just like any other guy; completely oblivious to how other girls felt about other guys, which left Alice as the only one who could discover how different the relationship between her and Scorpius actually was.

Rose sighed as she walked out of the library and into the hall. It wasn't as if she never wanted them to find out. There were just several other problems presently not allowing her to be honest. One, if and when her parents found out about them, either her or Scorpius were going to meet their untimely end and two, Scorpius was still officially dating Zabini. Rose frowned. The second problem, however, could be easily fixed. Sure she enjoyed the smug feeling of stealing Scorpius from her, but in the end her conscience was going was going to beat down her ego. She was already starting to feel bad about being the 'other woman' in this complicated love triangle and she didn't like it, while Scorpius seemed absolutely euphoric about the situation sometime's. That's what she got for dating a Slytherin.

Rose continued walking, her mind not registering what and who was around her until it was much too late to escape.

"Weasley," Zabini's instantly recognizable voice pierced the air. "What a wonderful surprise running into you here."

Rose cringed and turned behind her to see Zabini looking as menacing as ever. "It's not all that surprising since this is how I get back to the head dorms."

"Really," Zabini replied dismissively as she walked closer to Rose. "I didn't notice."

Sure you didn't.

"What do you want Zabini?" Rose sighed dejectedly. "I'm kind of busy right now."

Zabini stopped a few feet in front of Rose, a forced smile forming on her lips. "I just wanted to let you know that I know what you're up to."

Rose's stomach twisted in apprehension as she attempted to keep her expression indifferent. "What exactly am I up to Zabini?"

"Oh, I think you know," Zabini smiled sweetly but the way her eye was twitching alerted Rose to the possibility that she was finally going to be slapped for the first time. And in a way, she sort of deserved it.

"Enlighten me," Rose replied in defiance. Zabini's eye twitched unattractively before she responded.

"Do you really think I haven't noticed what you and lover boy have been up to," Zabini snapped, her smile now gone. "Not only has Scorpius been acting extremely out of character but the two of you have been spending an awfully large amount of time together, which you both claim is for "work". And don't think I haven't noticed you giving me those smug little looks when you think I'm not looking."

Bugger. So she had noticed those.

"Look Zabini," Rose began, stepping away from Zabini and preparing herself to leave. "I don't have time for this. I really have to get going."

"Get going where?" Zabini sneered. "Back to Scorpius? You do realize that he has yet to break it off with me and for some reason you're putting up with it. I had no idea that you were that kind of girl Weasley. Are you really still a virgin?"

Rose clenched her teeth together in fury. She didn't care that she was technically the bad guy in this situation. It was time for Zabini to realize that she had messed with the wrong girl for far too long. "Look Zabini. You are the one who gave me a free pass at the end of last year, so you really shouldn't give a damn what I do with Scorpius. Also, we both know that you're no paragon of virtue, so everything you're lecturing me about right now is just hypocritical garbage."

"Well I guess I changed my mind about the free pass. It seems that I don't like sharing and since you practically just admitted you and Scorpius are together, I'm now starting to wonder what you're families are going to think about the matter. I'm sure they'll be thrilled," Zabini mocked.

Rage welled up in the pit of Rose's stomach as she closed most of the gap between her and Zabini, taking the taller girl by surprise. "There are two things you need to get through your head, so listen and listen well," she threatened. "One, my family would never believe a single thing you said, so by all means, write them a letter because I decide when I tell my parents about Scorpius and me. And two, if I find out that you sent even a single member of my family so much as a post-it note; I will tell everyone about what you've been up to with Anwar Knight and who knows who else."

Zabini's eyes widened at Rose's last comment. "How do you know about that?" Zabini snapped.

Rose couldn't believe what she was doing. She was blackmailing Tatiana Zabini , the current best example of what an evil bitch was, and she wasn't sure if she liked it. She had never thought that she would have to resort to using threats to get someone off her back but Zabini didn't seem to be receptive to anything that wasn't aggressive in nature.

"It doesn't really matter does it," Rose replied quickly. She had to make sure Zabini didn't ask for details since she still had no idea what the deal Zabini had with Knight was actually about. Not to mention revealing that she had found out about the deal completely by accident while hiding under a desk didn't make her sound very intimidating. "Just leave my family out of this," she continued.

"You surprise me Weasley. I thought your entire family were a bunch do-gooders, but I guess for you to have a thing for Scorpius you have to be a bit different from the rest of your family," Zabini replied.

Rose was about to retort when a recognizable voice rang out from behind her causing her to turn. "Oi! What the hell is going on here?" Al exclaimed as he rushed towards Rose and Zabini.

This wasn't good. While she was glad that Al had shown up when he did, there was no way Rose could convince Al that all Zabini was talking to her about was there last Potions lesson, especially with the way Zabini was sneering right now.

"Well if it isn't Albus Potter here to save the day," Zabini mocked. "Not that you needed his help though Weasley, since it appears we've reached a bit of a stalemate." Zabini backed away from her, winking at Al when he reached Rose's side. "I promise to be good... at least for now," Zabini said with a cold smile before turning away and sauntering down the dimly lit hallway.

Rose snorted and turned away from Zabini's retreating figure. She had to admit, Zabini was excellent at dramatic exits.

"Alright," Al began, "what the bloody hell was that all about?"

Rose pushed past her cousin and continued her trek to the head dorms. "It's nothing Al."

Al followed close behind her. "Something's been different about you. For the past week or so all you've been doing is sneaking off to do 'work' and now you're having arguments with Zabini, which it looks like you're winning. So don't tell me that nothing is going on."

Rose rolled her eyes at his persistence. "Al. Zabini and I have never much liked each other. Why does it surprise you that she was trying to push my buttons?"

"It looks to me like she was succeeding there," Al added. "And what did she mean about the two of you reaching 'a bit of a stalemate'? Are the two of you competing over something."

Rose's face scrunched up uncomfortably at Al's comment. "What exactly would Zabini and I be competing over?" Rose joked, trying to feign indifference.

Al suddenly stopped walking, causing Rose to turn in surprise to see what was wrong with him, only to find him staring at her with his mouth open in astonishment.

Shit. "What's wrong with you?" Rose asked, her eyes darting around looking for a possible escape route if necessary.

"It finally happened," Al said, a smile creeping onto his lips.

"What finally happened?"

"You and Malfoy!" Al exclaimed with a laugh.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Quick, think up something clever to say. "Me and Malfoy what?" Rose replied awkwardly. Yes, very clever.

"Are hooking up!" Al answered with a suggestive grin that made Rose's face turn bright red. "I can't wait until I tell Nora. She's been so down lately but this will definitely make her feel better. Though, I can't believe she didn't notice."

Rose rushed towards her cousin, her mind now in panic mode. "Albus Severus Potter, if you so much as tell anyone about this, I will make sure you are never able to procreate."

Al winced. "Okay, that was unnecessary and did you really have to say my entire name. My first name alone is bad enough as it is."

"You're not taking this seriously," Rose exclaimed. "If my parents find out about this, Scorpius is as good as dead and I would like to be with him for longer than a couple of weeks."

Al rolled his eyes at her theatrics. "So is that what Zabini was so angry about?" He inquired. "Malfoy tossed her and now she's threatening to tell everyone why."

Rose gave Al a sheepish look and stepped away from him. "You see, she might have a small reason for being angry with me, since Scorpius... hasn't really tossed her yet."

Al gaped at her. "What?"

"Oh don't look at me like that," Rose protested. "She's been cheating on him for months with Anwar Knight of all people in exchange for gifts or something, so I think Scorpius has every right to give her a taste of her own medicine."

"I don't give a shit what Zabini's been up to Rose," Al blurted angrily causing Rose to stare at her cousin in surprise. "Why the hell hasn't Malfoy chucked Zabini if he's with you?"

"Scorpius isn't really good with confrontation," Rose replied awkwardly. "And we're trying to keep everything secret for now."

"Scorpius isn't really good with confrontation," Al repeated scornfully. "That's bullshit Rose. When have you ever wanted to settle for being some bloke's girl on the side? He hasn't chucked her because he's afraid of what will happen next."

"I'm afraid of what will happen as well, Al," Rose retorted, "so I think Scorpius has every right to feel the way he does."

"Then maybe the two of you aren't ready to be together!" Al bellowed.

Rose stared at Al in alarm. "What?" she managed to choke out.

"You shouldn't be afraid to be together," Al exclaimed. "I understand that you're worried about telling your parents but you can't hide forever. But being afraid to tell your friends, who honestly have been waiting for this to happen for months, is your mind telling you that you're not ready to be with him. And if he hasn't dumped Zabini yet, then maybe he still isn't ready yet either."

Rose felt her heart plummet as she buried her head in her hands. Merlin, she had been such an idiot. She had been so happy these past couple of weeks that she hadn't taken the time to check in on reality. She had known that what the two of them were doing wasn't right and completely immature, but she still loved him and she knew she wanted him.

"You're right Al," Rose replied, taking her hands off of her face to wipe her watering eyes. "But you're also wrong. I know I have to talk to him about Zabini and I know we can't hide forever... but I love him, issues and all. And I can honestly say that he loves me too. We just have a few wrinkles in the relationship that we need to work out and it's not going to be easy to do it."

"A few wrinkles?" Al asked, brow raised.

"Okay, giant hills that we need to tunnel through," Rose admitted. "But he does love me Al. I promise. And if I'm wrong... you have every right to beat the crap out of him."

Al sighed before closing the distance between them and hugging her. "Well," Al began, "if you know what you're doing, then I guess I should back off and let you handle the situation."

Rose's arms wrapped around Al's body and squeezed him tight. "I think that's a good idea, but I appreciate you looking out for me."

Al let go of her and swung one of his arms around her shoulder. "No problem. We are family after all."

"Well I better go talk to Scorpius before Zabini comes up with some way to get out from under my foot," Rose said with a sigh, pulling away from Al.

Al gave her a thoughtful look before replying. "How exactly did you do that anyway?"

"By telling her the truth and lying at the same time," Rose replied. "Thank Merlin she didn't figure out that I was bluffing half the time I was threatening her."

"So what was the truth?" Al questioned.

"That I overheard some weird conversation she had with Anwar Knight about, what I believe, was the exchange of money for sexual favours, which I still don't understand since, last I heard, Zabini's family had a lot of money to spare."

"She got money from him?" Al asked in surprise.

"At least I think it was," she replied. "I was hiding under a desk at the time, so I can only go by what I heard. Why are you so interested in this?"

"I'm not." Al replied distractedly. "But I need to go find Nora and make sure she's ready for the quidditch match tomorrow."

"Okay," Rose said, slightly confused.

"Good luck with Malfoy," Al replied as he back away from her. "And don't forget to tell him about the whole me beating the crap out of him if he hurts you. Hell, I'll round up the whole family and we can all do it together."

"Ha ha," Rose replied sarcastically.

Al grinned in response.

* * *

Rose stared miserably at the portrait hole to the head common rooms. It had been easy to say she was going to talk to Scorpius about Zabini, but actually doing it was a completely different story. She couldn't just tell him to leave Zabini... or could she? She was technically his girlfriend.

She sighed as she watched the golden retriever in the painting pounce on the wolf's back. Rose had parted ways with Al almost half an hour ago before taking as much time as humanly possible to get back to her dorm room. She didn't even know if Scorpius was even inside but if he was there was no way she could forget what she had talked about with Al. Scorpius would notice instantly that something was bothering her and she was horrible at lying.

Rose sighed yet again before saying the password to get inside. The wolf and dog quickly halted their games at the sound of her voice and the painting began to slowly creak open, allowing her to enter.

As quietly as possible, she walked down the small corridor into the living room to find Scorpius laying fast asleep on the couch sitting in front of the fire. Rose couldn't help but smile softly at the scene. Scorpius rarely let his guard down, so seeing moments like these were sometimes cause for celebration.

Rose set her bag down softly on the floor before tiptoeing silently over to the couch; hovering over Scorpius for a moment before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on his lips. If she was about to issue an ultimatum to him, she at least wanted to savour any last moments of contact with him. Not to mention he looked absolutely adorable when he slept.

Scorpius' eyes popped open in surprise but he quickly got over it. With a sly grin, Scorpius' arm reached out and pulled her down, causing half of her body to fall on top of him with a loud squeak of protest.

"I could get used to you waking me up like that, Rose," Scorpius said with a chuckle.

"Keep dreaming Malfoy," Rose replied cheekily, giving him another quick kiss while adjusting her body so that she was half sitting on the side of the couch and half lying on top of Scorpius' body.

"We'll see about that," Scorpius replied suggestively, bringing a blush to Rose's cheeks. "How was the library?"

"Uneventful," Rose lied, laying her head onto Scorpius' chest so he couldn't see her face properly. "Andy wanted me to do his essay for him and was being obnoxious, so I left a bit early.

Crap, she was already lying. Come on Rose, just suck it up and tell him what happened. "But when I was on my way here I ran into a few people."

"Like who?" Scorpius asked with a yawn.

"First Zabini and then Al," Rose admitted, before propping herself up so she could see Scorpius' face clearly. "They both know about us by the way."

Scorpius' eyes widened at the news and he sat up slightly. "What did Tatiana threaten to do this time?"

Rose sighed unhappily and moved away from Scorpius so he could shift into a sitting position. "Don't worry; I took care of it for now."

"How did you take care of it?" Scorpius asked in confusion.

"I used Zabini's tactics on herself," Rose replied quickly. "But I wanted to talk to you about what Al said to me."

Scorpius sighed. "Let me guess, Potter doesn't approve."

"Well, no," Rose replied nervously. "But oddly enough it had nothing to do with the two of us being together."

"Then what doesn't he approve of?" Scorpius questioned impatiently.

"The fact that your also still with Zabini," Rose answered, her body tense.

Scorpius was silent for a moment, his eyes glued to hers, before he spoke again. "Oh."

Rose couldn't help but feel disappointed by his answer or lack of one in this case. "Oh? It's a valid reason for him to be upset at you." Rose looked away from Scorpius and began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. "... And for me as well," she added quietly.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched Scorpius rub his face wearily before sighing. "Nora warned me that you weren't the kind of girl who'd ever settle for being some bloke's girl on the side."

Rose's head snapped back to look at him, her expression surprised. "Did you ever think I would?" Rose asked, slightly offended.

"No," Scorpius replied while meeting her gaze, his answer both simple and serious at the same time. "And I love you for that."

"They why haven't you left Zabini yet?" Rose questioned. "You knew I'd eventually get over playing this game."

Scorpius stood up from his seat and began pacing in front of her, alerting her to the fact that he was becoming upset. "I haven't left her yet mostly because I'm afraid of the questions I'm going to have to answer afterwards. Not to mention the questions you'll have to answer. My parents will find out if I chuck Tatiana and they'll want to know why immediately," Scorpius explained. "And I'm not sure I can lie about something like this."

"Then don't," Rose said simply.

"It's not that easy, Rose," Scorpius said in frustration.

"But it is," Rose replied. "You're over thinking everything by trying to predict what's going to happen so far ahead in the future. If you just focused on Zabini, everything would probably seem a lot easier."

Scorpius stopped pacing and whirled on her. "I don't see you running off to tell every single member of your family about is," Scorpius responded angrily.

"Well," Rose said as calmly as possible, trying to keep her temper in check. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about what they're going to think, but I also don't want to have to go through the drama of everyone knowing I'm your second girlfriend. You should have seen how angry Al was when he found out you're still technically with Zabini. He even threatened to round up my entire family and beat the crap out of you."

Scorpius snorted.

"I'm not joking Scorpius," Rose insisted. "To be honest, I was surprised by how alright Al was over the idea of using being together, and we practically think of each as brother and sister, so I have a feeling that the rest of my cousins will care less about what I do with you. But they will care if they think your treating me badly."

"I know that," Scorpius admitted guiltily. "And I never want anyone to think that I am. This is just difficult for me."

"Then I guess I'm going to have to be horrible to you," Rose said dejectedly.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked in surprise, his eyes searching her face frantically for an answer to his question.

"What I mean is that there can be no us until you formally kick Zabini to the curve," Rose announced glumly. "And I'm only being this harsh because Al would throttle me if he found out I wasn't."

"Wha-? There can be no us? I can't even talk to you?" Scorpius exclaimed, clearly flustered.

"Oh you can talk to me all you want," Rose reassured, her face becoming pained as she thought about the second part of her statement. "You just can't touch me."

Scorpius just stared at her. "Excuse me."

"You heard me," Rose replied, her expression stoic. "No touching until Zabini is gone. While I love silently gloating about this, I'm becoming acutely aware how wrong this situation truly is."

"But I can't touch you?" Scorpius questioned again.

Rose gave him a dark look. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"So I can't even hug you?" Scorpius asked, brow raised as she lowered his body so that his face hung over hers.

"No," Rose replied bluntly while trying to overlook how close his face was to his.

Scorpius grinned. "I can't even touch you a little?" Scorpius asked suggestively, raising his hand to stroke the side of her face.

Rose batted his hand away while trying to ignore the sensation that ran through her body over a simple stroke of the cheek. He wasn't taking her seriously and that was all she needed to find the anger she should have used at the beginning of this conversation.

"I'm serious Scorpius," Rose replied irritably, standing up from her seat to give him a frosty look. "I love you and you love me. Nowhere in that statement does Zabini pop up. So, until you tell Zabini it's over, I am going to keep my distance. That doesn't mean you can't talk to me, you just have to keep your hands away from me."

Scorpius gave her such a miserable look in response that Rose was horribly tempted to tell him that she had been kidding during the entire conversation. Damn his good looks. But then she was reminded of how irritating Zabini was and her resolve instantly hardened.

Rose stepped around Scorpius and walked toward the staircase that led to her room; silently bracing herself for a fight she hoped would not come.

"I love you, Rose," Scorpius said clearly into the still silence of the room.

Rose relaxed slightly and turned her head to look at him, which only made her even more conflicted when she saw the forlorn expression on his face.

"I love you too," Rose said as tenderly as possible, hoping that her words may help to make him feel slightly better. "But now we have to prove it to everyone else."

* * *

A/N - Yes I know, I took forever getting this chapter up but I was being lazy so it is entirely my bad. So in this chapter we have Rose realizing that being in a relationship with three people is not so much fun. Let's face it, many of us have been there. Next chapter will mostly be about Nora and how her paranoia is making her a bit cranky (also there will be quidditch!), and yes its already under construction so hopefully it will be up much faster than this chapter. I hope everyone had a good holidays and I have totally forgotten to say 'Yay! to over 100 reviews!'. So thanks everyone and please keep on reading and reviewing as always. Ciao :)


	12. Full Disclosure

Chapter 12 – Full Disclosure

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is not mine. He belongs to the wonderfully talented J.K. Rowling

* * *

Nora awoke to yet another splitting headache. "Ugh," she groaned loudly into her pillow. She slowly raised her body from her bed, pushing the tangle of sheets that lay on top of her as gently as possible so as to not jerk her head in any way.

Nora moved herself so that she was sitting on the edge of her bed before grabbing an already open bottle of Tylenol and pouring a couple into her hand. Nora stared down at the little red pills with distaste before popping them into her mouth and swallowing them dry. She was a witch resorting to using muggle medicine to relieve a headache; she had definitely reached an all time low. Not that the pills were working very well since she had this headache for close to a week now, but the pills made sure that the headache stayed a headache and did not bloom into a full blown migraine.

Nora surveyed her surroundings with a bored expression. Both of the Grenning twins were still snoring soundly in their beds, Alice's bed was empty but Nora guessed that the off-pitch singing coming from the bathroom was her, and her quidditch uniform was laid out on the top of her trunk.

"Shit," Nora swore under her breath. She had completely forgotten about the bloody match against Ravenclaw today and Al had even reminded her yesterday. Nora got up from her bed and trudged over to her trunk, grabbing her uniform while grumbling under her breath. She was just going to have to suck up the pain, just like she'd been doing all week. She had to show everyone that she was fine and that she didn't need to use her powers at all in order to function properly.

While pulling off the tank-top she wore too bed, Nora mused over the conversation she had, had with Al just yesterday about something Rose had uncovered about Zabini. Nora opened her trunk, her uniform falling to the floor in a heap, so she could root around for her sports bra. The only reason Zabini would be asking for handouts of the cash variety from Knight would either be because she'd been cut off from her money or she just didn't have any left. Was that why she was holding on to Scorpius so hard? Nora knew for a fact that he had quite a substantial amount of money he was going to inherit when his daddy kicked the bucket. Retrieving her sports bra from the confines of her trunk, Nora quickly pulled it on over her bare body, before removing the pair of boxers she had borrowed from Al's drawer so she could put on a more feminine pair of underwear. But there had been not a single word of the Zabini family having money problems and from what Nora knew about the wizarding world, gossip got around very quickly.

She scowled at the thought as she grabbed the pants to her quidditch uniform and began pulling them on.

"Good morning, Nora," Alice chimed happily from behind Nora, causing her to jump suddenly. The sudden movement did nothing for her head, which instantly began to throb even more.

"Morning," Nora grumbled as she savagely pulled her pants on and did them up.

"What's wrong?" Alice said worriedly.

Nora turned her head to stare at Alice, who was already dressed and ready for the day. "It's just a headache," she replied dismissively as she scooped up her shirt.

"Well we can easily fix that," Alice said brightly before rushing over to her bedside table and pulling out one of its drawer's built to rifle through it. "I know I have a headache curing potion in here somewhere."

"Don't bother," Nora replied as she put on the shirt that went under her jersey.

"Why?" Alice asked, her head snapping up from what she was doing to give Nora a baffled look. "I promise that I didn't make it myself. My mother sent it to me."

Nora couldn't help but grin at the blonde. "It has nothing to do with your potion making skills Alice. It's just that they don't really work for me anymore."

"Huh?"

Nora bent over to grab her jersey before pointing at the bathroom. "Did you see all of those empty little glass bottles in there?"

Alice nodded as she straightened her body. "Yes. Those are yours? I assumed Sharon and Sarah were collecting a certain kind of random object again and I didn't say anything because glass flasks are a step up from square-shaped rocks."

"No their mine," Nora replied as she tugged her jersey over her head. "And they all once had different kinds of headache cures in them. Too bad none of them worked. Now I'm resorting to muggle Tylenol, which surprisingly seems to work better."

"There are like 15 bottles in there Nora," Alice protested. "How long have you had this headache?"

"A week now," Sharon Grenning called out from the confines of her curtained off bed.

"And they're probably not working because she _so_ special," Sarah Grenning finished mockingly.

Nora lifted her middle finger in the direction of the twin's beds. Since when had they been awake?

"Is that true?" Alice asked, ignoring Nora's finger. "Have you had this headache for a week?"

"Yes, but it's not that big of a deal. I have everything under control."

"Y – You have everything under control?" Alice spluttered. "For all we know you could have some kind of tumour that is slowly killing you. You should go see Madam Penny."

"I do not need to go see Penny," Nora grumbled.

"Yes, you do," Alice said stubbornly. "What if you faint during the match and plunge to your death. Al would never forgive me if he found out I could have stopped you from playing."

"I'm fine," Nora insisted as she began to her required protective gear.

"No you are not," Alice huffed, hands coming to her hips in a way that made Nora feel like she was being scolded by her mother. "You've been absolutely out of it for days and I know for a fact that you have skipped your last few meetings with Monroe."

Nora stopped what she was doing abruptly to stare at Alice in shock. "How do you know about that?"

"I found the note Monroe sent to you reminding you that you shouldn't be missing them in the trash the other day," Alice said sternly. "Why aren't you attending your lessons?"

Nora didn't have an answer to that question. She wasn't sure why 2 weeks ago when she was heading towards Monroe's office, that half-way there she turned around and went for a walk outside by herself. Nora partially believed that she angry at the headmistress for trying to sick Grant on her. She didn't want to know what was going on at the Ministry right now because she was worried she wouldn't like what she heard. And besides why couldn't Monroe have taught her about all of that. She had been an auror once herself. So while being stubborn and feeling sorry for herself, she had decided she had, had enough of people trying to make her better. She was fine just the way she was.

Even though she was pretty sure she wasn't.

"I just had better things to do," Nora lied, looking away from Alice.

"I doubt that," Alice retorted.

Nora gritted her teeth as she donned her quidditch gear. "You know what, Alice," Nora muttered heatedly.

"What?"

"None of this is your bloody business," Nora said furiously. "So lay the hell off!"

"You're my friend, Nora," Alice said sternly, her hands coming off her hips as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And since Rose asked me to keep an eye on you, I am obligated to watch your back."

Nora tensed at Alice's statement. So Rose had asked Alice to watch her. Someone was always watching her. Babysitting her. Coddling her when they thought she was upset or angry. Well she was bloody sick of it. All she wanted to be was normal. Boring, plain, normal and... happy.

"Whatever," Nora muttered dejectedly. "I'm going to the washroom and then we can meet the guys and go down for breakfast."

"Nora," Alice said anxiously.

Nora ignored her and trudged into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" David whispered to Alice, who promptly sent him a death glare.

Nora didn't bother to acknowledge the exchange as she distractedly pushed her eggs around her plate. Nora and Alice had met up with the guys about 15 minutes after her first temper tantrum of the day and she had made it very clear to Dave, Andy and Al that she was in no mood for idle banter this morning. She just wanted to get the match over with so that she could go back to her room and sleep.

"Where the bloody hell is Rose?" Andy asked impatiently. "We're going to have to head down to the pitch soon for the game."

"She might be busy with a few things," Al said cryptically. Nora moved her head slightly to give him a questioning look and he just winked and lifted one of his hands to start massaging the back of her neck. Nora closed her eyes and focused on the way his fingers were kneading the back of her neck before moving to her shoulder. He was distracting her and she knew it. From what she wasn't quite sure. He either knew about her headache and was trying to keep her calm or something was going on with Rose that he didn't want her questioning. If it had been any other day, she probably wouldn't have let him get his way, but she was way too exhausted and in pain to play detective.

"Brilliant," Andy moaned. "Rose is always the one who makes sure Alice doesn't puke when she notices how high up in the air she is. Now what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"I'm right here you know," Alice muttered darkly.

David chuckled from beside Alice. "I'm sure she'll be down soon."

Nora, now becoming curious as to why Rose was late, turned her head to look at the Slytherin table. There was Scorpius, in his normal King of Slytherin seat at the middle of the table, completely surrounded by people who knew absolutely nothing about him. Nora couldn't help but notice that he looked quite distracted, like he was trying to solve some sort of complex puzzle.

"Who are they?" Andy suddenly asked, causing Nora's head to turn in the direction of the head table.

"Who?" Al asked as he stared at where the professor's were all eating their breakfast.

"The two blokes talking to Monroe," Andy said impatiently.

Nora's eyes moved to where Monroe was sitting, only to find her head turned slightly to talk to two older men dressed in boring black professional dress robes, each of them wearing matching scowls on their faces.

"No idea," Al mused, his hand still kneading away at Nora's shoulder.

Nora's gaze hardened as she scrutinized the two men. It didn't take a genius to figure out who these men were. They were politicians, or they at least worked for some. Nora had grown up with one making her life miserable so she could always spot them from a mile away.

"I've seen one of those guys before," David said casually. "At one of my parents rich people parties. I think he works for one of the other governor's on the school board."

Nora's mind processed the information, her head throbbing. She was far too distracted by the two men to notice the worried look Alice was giving her and that Al had stopped massaging her shoulder and was now staring at the two men warily.

Why were men from the ministry here? Were they here to watch the match? Were they here to watch her? She had so many questions and no one ever answered them with a proper answer. And if she were to go up to them right now, would they truthfully tell her why they were here or would they just gloss over the obvious with by telling her it was none of her business.

But how wasn't it her business? They were the ones watching her. They were the ones taking notes on her behaviour. They were the ones threatening to launch an investigation into whether or not they could trust her in the future. She wasn't threatening to do anything, so why weren't they just talking to her about these things right to her face instead of asking her friends to testify against her or getting people to monitor her actions. She had been fitting in here. She had had a place where she belonged. The only reason any of this was happening was because some unknown source had revealed the truth to everyone through the bloody newspaper. Nora gritted her teeth at the thought. No one had ever figured out who had spilled the beans about how 'special' she was, even the Prophet's editor had no idea. But what pissed Nora off, was the fact that no one was looking because why should they. Some unknown person had done the entire world a great service and if they didn't want the spotlight cast upon them, why should anyone bother them.

But Nora wanted to bother them. When Nora graduated, she was going to find out who it was that was trying too hard to ruin her life. Why? Well, before it was more because she was curious and slightly irritated, but at that moment she had a very different reason to want to find whoever was turning her life upside down.

She hated them and she was, one day, going to make sure they understood that.

_Crack!_

Nora was startled from her reverie by the sudden noise and her eye's scanned the area around her to find what was responsible for the sound, only to stop and stare in confusion at the severely cracked glass goblet in front of her that was slowly leaking orange juice onto the table. Nora stared at the goblet in confusion. She hadn't hit it had she?

"Nora," Al said anxiously. "What's wrong? Why'd you break the goblet?"

Nora gave him confused look. "I didn't even touch it. How could I have broken it?"

Al shifted uncomfortably in his seat before replying. "None of us did either and I'm pretty sure we would have noticed someone using magic."

Nora looked at the surprised look on all of her friends faces as they all stared at her goblet warily, before realizing what Al was talking about. She didn't have to touch something to break it. All she had to do was look at it and will it to break.

But she hadn't wanted to break anything. She wasn't even sure if she had even been looking at the goblet when it had broken since she had been so busy fuming over how much she hated the people who were trying to ruin her life.

Nora gasped suddenly, reality dawning on her. However, there was one thing she had learned over the years about her abilities. If she was put under the right amount of pressure, if she was angry or sad enough, she didn't need to think anything; her emotions would do all the work for her.

Shit!

Nora shot up from her seat as quickly as she could, trying desperately to ignore the now empty cracked goblet and the orange stain that surrounded it, while ignoring the presence of the unknown men at the front of the room.

"I'm going to head down to the pitch," Nora blurted out in a panicked voice. "Anyone coming with me?"

Everyone looked at her and began to stammer confused answers, before Al jumped in. "Nora," Al said warningly. "Is something wrong?"

Nora shot him a quick glance, noting from his expression that he knew something was up. Just great. She couldn't hide anything from him.

"I'm fine," Nora replied as cheerfully as possible, before ignoring how unconvinced he looked and turning back to look at Andy, David and Alice. "Anyone coming?"

"Er-," Andy replied, eyeing the cracked goblet suspiciously as he slowly rose from his seat. "Sure."

"Nora is your head still hurting?" Alice asked tentatively.

Nora's head whipped around to stare at Alice, causing her to cringe in pain over making such a sudden movement.

Al jumped on her reaction and the information provided by Alice faster than lightning. "You still have the headache? I thought you told me it went away?"

Nora groaned in annoyance, taking her hand away from her temple so that she could give Alice an icy glare. "I'm fine. Alice is making a big deal out of nothing."  
"I am not," Alice huffed.

"I think you should sit out this quidditch match," Al suddenly suggested.

"What?" Nora said in surprise.

"What indeed!" Andy shouted.

"You heard me," Al responded, ignoring Andy. "I care about you Nora and the fact that you're lying about how you feel worries me. What if your headache gets worse during the game and something happens. I would hate myself if I could have prevented something bad from happening to you or anyone else."

Nora was now thoroughly panicked. Al's voice was far too loud now for people not to notice that something was going on and the fact that she looked like she was trying to run away probably didn't help. Why couldn't he get the fact that she couldn't sit this game out because of her headache? If she didn't play and the Ministry figured out why, she would be put under constant supervision for fear that she was going to hurt someone. No, she had to suck it up.

"I'm fine, Al," Nora said in a steady voice. "I took a few Tylenol's earlier and they just haven't kicked in yet."

"What's a Tylenol?" David asked in confusion.

"Muggle medicine for pain," Andy answered and David gave a silent 'oh' of understanding in response.

"Why aren't you taking the headache curing potions?" Al questioned, getting up from his seat.

"Because apparently they don't work for her anymore," Alice muttered under her breath but Al still caught the message.

"What do you mean they don't work?" Al said his voice filled with concern.

"I'm fine," Nora insisted unhappily. What was happening right now? Everything was unravelling over some stupid broken glass. She turned her gaze back to it, silently willing it to fix itself, or at least disappear, so she could go back to before Al suspected she was lying to him. He was already upset at her for her lack of openness with him, she didn't need this to.

"Bloody hell you're not," Al replied furiously. "The only reason why this headache of yours could be sticking around is because of your abilities. Have you been using them?"

Nora looked at him in shock. "Why the bloody hell would I do that? I could get in trouble if the Ministry found out."

"I could give a flying leap about the damn Ministry at the moment, Nora," Al fumed. "Have you been using them?"

Nora gave him an angry look before turning around and heading for the Great Hall's doors; very much aware of the stares she was receiving.

* * *

"Nora!" Al bellowed but she ignored him as she stomped out of the room and into the hallway, knowing full well he would follow after her.

Rose had been making her way to the Great Hall for breakfast when she had literally ran into Nora in the hallway.

"What the-!" Rose exclaimed as she stumbled backwards, only to watch as Nora brushed past her. "Nora?"

Nora didn't even seem to notice that she had even run into her, since she didn't stop as she hurried down the hallway before turning a corner.

"Nora, wait!" Someone suddenly called out. Rose turned to see Al rushing towards her with a frustrated expression on his face, before stopping when he noticed she was standing there. "Hey, Rose," he said quickly. "I can't really talk right now. I'm worried that Nora's gotten too upset by what's been going on lately."

"What's been going on lately?" Rose said in confusion. This was all too much for her so early in the morning. She had just told the bloke she was in love with to break up with his girlfriend or he could never touch her again and now something was wrong with Nora.

"I don't have time to explain," Al replied hurriedly. "I have to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Before Rose could reply, Al had already run off in the direction Nora had gone, leaving her more confused than ever.

"Rose!" Alice shouted as she suddenly appeared in the hallway, followed closely by Andy and David. "There you are. Did you see Al or Nora come out here recently?"

"Yes," Rose answered in bewilderment. "What the hell is going on? Isn't the match going to be starting in an hour or so?"

"No time for that, Rosie," David replied. "Nora needs us right now."

"As much as it kills me to say this, Dave's right," Andy said with a sigh.

"What? Could someone please tell me what's going on before I start freaking out?" Rose asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember me telling you that Nora's been struggling," Alice replied brow furrowed.

"Yes," Rose replied.

"Well she hasn't gotten any better," Alice explained. "In fact, she's gotten worse."

"And by worse, she means paranoid as all hell," Andy replied.

Alice shot Andy a dirty look before turning back to look at Rose. "Anyway, which way did the two of them go? We all have to be there to – oh... hey, Malfoy," Alice greeted awkwardly, her eyes looking over Rose's shoulder.

Rose turned her head to see Scorpius standing a few feet away from them, his expression both worried and apologetic. Rose felt her insides melt as she stared at him. Damn, she was so far gone with him that it wasn't even funny. He could be trying to seduce her, be angry as hell or looking like a lost little puppy, but either way she would still be tempted to jump his bones. Rose took a deep breath in to calm her thoughts. She knew why Scorpius had followed all of her friends out of the Great Hall. He was close to Nora as well, so he could break it off with Zabini later.

"Come on, Scorpius," Rose said beckoning him towards her with her hand.

Scorpius grinned in response and Rose's insides purred in appreciation. However, the grin quickly turned into a serious expression. "What's going on?" Scorpius asked as he walked towards her, ignoring the surprised looks on Alice, Andy and David's faces.

"I honestly have no idea," Rose replied before looking angrily over at her friends. "Because this lot continues to be horribly vague about the entire situation."

"We don't have time for this," Alice said impatiently. "Just tell us where Nora and Al went so that we can all get to them before something horrible happens."

"Fine," Rose replied, lifting her arm to point in the direction Al and Nora had gone. "They went that way."

Her friends nodded at her appreciatively before turning away and rushing down the corridor, leaving Rose and Scorpius to follow dutifully behind them.

"So you don't know anything about what's happening?" Scorpius asked again.

"All I know is that Nora hasn't been doing well, but I was told this weeks ago, and according to Alice she's gotten worse. I'm still not sure what 'worse' actually means, though," Rose explained. "I'm surprised you don't know more about the situation."

"To be honest," Scorpius muttered sheepishly. "I've been so caught up with what's been going on between us to pay much attention to anything else."

Rose started to chew on her lip nervously as she began to realize how distracted she had been these past few weeks. "Same," Rose replied as she quickened her pace. Had she been so wrapped up with Scorpius that she had failed to notice things that were staring her directly in the face? Things that she should have noticed and should have dealt with earlier? "It looks like we haven't been the greatest friends lately," Rose mused sombrely, as her mind began to panic over all of the things that could be wrong with Nora.

Scorpius ducked his head slightly, a look of disappointment and guilt beginning to form on his pale face.

"Nora!" Al's voice exclaimed, echoing down the hallway towards Rose and her friends.

Rose heard the fear in Al's voice and her maternal instincts immediately kicked into action. Knowing her friends would follow behind her, Rose began to run towards where Al's voice had come from, stopping in the doorway of an unused classroom to find a scene that Rose believed she would remember for the rest of her life.

Nora sat in the far corner of the classroom, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head clutched in her hands; her body shaking slightly, while Al was slowly getting to his feet a few feet away from her. Rose caught the slight look of pain in his eyes as he straightened himself into a standing position. Her eyes travelled back to Nora's quivering figure and she couldn't help but notice how defeated Nora looked. It was as if the reason she was curling herself into a ball was to prevent herself from falling to pieces. Rose felt her insides churn uneasily at the idea. Nora was always so strong. What had happened to change that?

"What the bloody hell happened to the windows?" Andy suddenly exclaimed when he joined Rose in the doorway, along with Scorpius, Alice and David.

Rose looked to where the sun was streaming into the room, only to gasp in shock.

All of the windows in the room were shattered to the point where the bars that had been holding the panes of glass in place were no longer even present; turning what had once been windows, into gaping holes lining the stone wall. Rose stared around the room for signs of glass but found very little. Instead, she noticed that many of the desks in the room appeared to have been pushed away from the area where Nora was crouched down on the floor and several objects that should have been on the tops of bookshelves and desks were now strewn about the floor haphazardly.

Rose stepped slowly into the room, Scorpius and her friends following behind her. Al cast a quick glance in their direction before walking back to where Nora was huddled on the floor, ignoring Andy's question all together. Rose soon joined him and dropped to the floor so that she was at eye level with Nora.

"Nora," Rose said reassuringly. "What's going on?"

"I can't believe I lost control," Nora replied, her voice barely a whisper.

"Lost control of what?" Rose asked as she tried to keep her voice as level as possible. It was obvious what she had lost control of. The lack of windows in the classroom were evidence of that. However, Rose knew that she going to have to get Nora to admit a few things in order for her to come to terms with whatever was going on.

"My abilities," Nora said in a defeated voice, her hands clenching together at the side of her head. "I can't not use them. It's too hard."

Rose sighed and lowered herself so that she was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Without a word Alice followed suit and plopped down next to Nora. Rose heard the screech of chairs and desks moving behind her and she assumed that the boys were finding a place to sit, as Al leaned up against the wall next to Nora; his expression unreadable. They were going to be here awhile, quidditch be damned. Besides, when half the quidditch team didn't show up for the match, Rose was pretty sure someone would realize something was going on.

"Have you not been using them?"

"No," Nora replied pitifully. "At least, I tried. I know what's at stake. I know what could happen. But I tried." Nora's head dropped onto her knees and a sob escaped her lips.

"What's going to happen, Nora?" Rose asked tentatively.

"I don't know!" Nora raged, lifting her head quickly from her knees to stare furiously at Rose. "That's what I hate about all of this. I have a professor telling me that he wants to teach me about the ministry, ministry officials talking to my friends and people watching my every move, and I'm sick of it! I tried not using my powers just like they asked and I was fine at first, but then…"

"But then, what?" Rose questioned.

Nora shot Rose a withering look, but answered the question. "I started getting headaches and headache curing potions weren't working on them. Then the headaches wouldn't end and I immediately knew why."

"But if you knew why, why didn't you just use your abilities?" Alice piped up.

"Because I was disappointed in myself," Nora said angrily. "Why couldn't I not have to use my abilities? It would have made my entire life so much easier."

"So you were punishing yourself?" Rose queried.

"No," Nora replied sharply.

"Yes," Al said, earning a dark look from Nora.

"I wasn't punishing myself," Nora replied through clenched teeth. "I just didn't want to fail."

"Nora," Alice said. "You're only 17 years old. You're allowed to fail."

"Not me," Nora sniffed. "I have to be perfect or I could get expelled. I can't be a bother or otherwise I'm proving my father right. No, I'm not allowed to fail. And when the ministry finds out that I caused actual damage to the school because I had a headache brought on by having too much magical energy, it will be bye bye Hogwarts, hello extensive tests and interviews."

"But you don't know that," Rose said softly. "Besides what have you learned from this entire experience?"

Nora shot Rose a depressed look. "That I'm beyond help."

"No," Rose replied impatiently. "We've learned that you have to use your powers every once and awhile, otherwise you start hurting yourself."

"Um," Andy said, clearing his throat. "How is that going to help her, Rose?"

Rose sighed. "It's something we can tell the Ministry so that Nora won't get into trouble. They would know that it is asking you too much to not do what comes naturally to you. In fact, we can even say it's far more dangerous for you not to use your abilities and those windows can be our evidence. And you have yet to realize how good this supposed investigation could be."

"What?" Nora asked in confusion.

"I agree with, Nora," David muttered from behind Rose.

"Explain please, Rose," Alice said her expression thoughtful.

"We need to show them just how useful you can be," Rose explained. "You're definitely not a failure and I think they know that. There just worried about where your allegiances lie. You could be a dangerous enemy, but a very powerful friend."

"I refuse to kiss anyone's ass," Nora said, her lip curled.

"You don't have to," Rose replied. "As long as you emphasize how useful you could be to the ministry, they'll be the ones kissing your ass in the end as they beg you to become the legendary auror you are destined to become."

"That's bloody devious, Rosie," Andy said in awe. Rose turned her head to grin at him, catching the smug look on Scorpius' face that she did her best to ignore in order to keep herself from blushing, before turning back to look at Nora.

"That plan depends greatly on telling someone what's going on," Nora said irritably, but Rose noticed that her body had relaxed considerably.

"Nora," Rose said seriously. "Do you really want to continue lying about how you're feeling just to please a few politicians and over-protective parents?"

Nora ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. "No I don't."

"Then it's time you told people the truth," Rose replied.

Nora gave Rose an unconvinced look.

"She's right, Nora," Al said. "We both know you hate exposing your vulnerable side this much and telling the truth would keep meeting's like this from happening often."

"But what if I'm right," Nora insisted. "What if everything goes back to the way it was before I came to Hogwarts."

"We won't let it change," Scorpius replied seriously, surprising Rose's friends and making her smile.

"You can't guarantee that," Nora answered.

"Yes we can," Andy replied. "We're all of age and some of us have lots of money we're one day going to inherit."

Rose gave Andy a sarcastic look before turning back to look at Nora. "What Andy means is that, even though we're only 17 and we haven't finished school yet, we can still protect each other when it's necessary."

"You're going to protect me?" Nora asked, a smile growing on her lips.

"Yes," Rose replied. "We all will. Remember, who are me and Al's parents?"

"And my dad as well," David added.

"And if their parents can't help, we can always use Malfoy's family history to scare people into leaving you alone," Andy joked and Rose could only imagine the look of disgust that had appeared on Scorpius' face.

"See," Rose said. "It's time you stopped believing that you need to protect everyone, when in reality, you need to be protected just as much as we do."

Nora chewed her lip in agitation and looked up at Al for reassurance. He nodded his head silently before slowly descending down to the floor to put his arm around Nora's shoulder. "Everything will be fine, Nora," Al said in a relaxed voice. "I'm here to protect you. Even when you don't want me to."

Nora sighed dejectedly. "I hate it when you do that. Fine... I'll go talk to Monroe about what's been going on, but if something goes wrong, I am blaming all of you."

"Aw," Alice cooed before throwing her arms around Al and Nora. "I'm so happy that you're not being stubborn anymore."

"And we finished this little intervention early enough to get Roxanne to replace Nora in the game and still make it to the pitch before Gryffindor is forced into forfeiting the match," Andy said distractedly.

"You're going to have to find a replacement for me as well," Al said as he pried himself away from Alice's arms and got to his feet. "I'm going to go with Nora to see Monroe."

"You've done enough already, Al," Andy reassured eagerly. "Malfoy can do it. Rose can even go with them."

Al hesitated before turning to look at Rose. "We can do it," Rose said. "We've been bloody awful friends lately anyway, so we owe Nora a few."

Al still looked unconvinced as he looked down at Nora, who was still trapped in Alice's arms. Nora exhaled noisily as she got to her feet, pulling Alice up with her. "Go play, Al, and you better win or I'm going to kick your ass."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Nora replied impatiently, untangling herself from Alice's arms to give him a quick kiss to reassure him. "Now go before you have to forfeit."

"Listen to the woman, Al," Andy said, clapping his friend on the back. "Now let's get going."

Rose grinned as she watched Andy push Al out of the room, David and Alice following closely behind them.

"We'll come find you all after the match," Alice assured as she walked out of the classroom. Rose looked over at Nora, who was beginning to look horribly nervous.

"Everything will be fine," Rose said supportively and Nora gave her an anxious smile in response. "Do you want me to fix the windows?" Rose asked.

"No, no," Nora replied. "We should leave evidence of today's events for... review, Merlin, I'm going to start hyperventilating."

"You'll be fine," Rose said soothingly. "Scorpius, talk to her."

"You'll be fine," Scorpius said awkwardly.

Nora gave them both odd looks. "Something's different about you two," she said, eyes narrowing.

Great, Nora had been back to her normal self for only a minute and she could already tell that Rose and Scorpius had a more than friendly relationship at the moment.

"Are you sure you don't want me to fix the windows?" Rose asked quickly, trying to distract Nora.

"I'm sure," Nora replied. "Remember. Full disclosure is my new motto in life. But changing the subject; did something happen between the two of you?"

"Uh...no," she replied unconvincingly, looking over at Scorpius, who was conveniently looking anywhere but at her.

Nora's eyes narrowed even further, a smirk beginning to form on her face. "You two totally hooked up!"

"What?" Rose exclaimed. "We did not!"

"You so totally did," Nora replied gleefully.

"No we didn't," Rose insisted. "Tell her, Scorpius."

Scorpius gawked at her unattractively, his usually pale cheeks turning a light pink in embarrassment.

"Merlin, this is fantastic!" Nora exclaimed happily. "This just makes my day _so_ much better. Okay, now I can go talk to Monroe. You two better be dating right now or I may become very annoyed later."

"Uh," Rose stuttered, as Nora marched out of the room, head held high.

"I don't need to know," Nora called out. "Are you two coming? I have a feeling the next couple of days are going to be very interesting."

* * *

A/N- I believe I am coming to terms with how much of a horrible updater I am, but please bare with me. I've been really distracted with school and family drama, so I haven't been able to focus too much on writing. Anyway, I'm not really to fond of this chapter, not sure why, I'm just not. However, it needed to be written and I am far more excited for what is to come (hopefully you are as well). Next chapter I promise that Scorpius will do something about Zabini and Rose and Scorpius will be truly together not long after. Read and review as always and I will try to update sooner next chapter.

Also, if you visit my page you will notice that I have written a one-shot called _Invitation_ about when Monroe first went to visit Nora in Canada. It was something that just popped into my head, since I've been thinking a lot about Monroe's back story. I've even thought about writing a fic about her past sometime in the future. We shall see.

Toodles!


	13. A Beginning and an End

Chapter 13 – A Beginning and an End

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is not mine, he and the wizarding world belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.

* * *

Rose was worried. There was no way she could pretend that she wasn't. Professor Longbottom had told her to just go about her daily business and that he would let her know if anything important happened, but how could she when there was the possibility that one of her best friends may get kicked out of school any minute now?

It had been six days since Nora had skipped the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw quidditch match with Rose and Scorpius. Since the three of them had no idea how to get into the headmistresses office without the password, they had headed straight for the hospital wing. Everything after making that decision had been a blur of anxiety ridden adults and questions.

As soon as the three of them had gotten to the hospital wing, Madam Penny had known immediately that something was wrong and had made Nora cough up every little detail of what had happened, before pouncing on Scorpius and Rose.

Once Penny had gotten all she wanted out of the three of them, she had quickly contacted Professor Monroe, Stone, Longbottom and, much to Rose's surprise, Grant.

The four professor's had taken very little time getting to the hospital wing and as soon as they entered the room, Monroe, Stone and Longbottom had swooped down on them, peppering them with even more questions, while Grant hung back and surveyed the whole situation.

After the three professors had stopped asking Rose and Scorpius for their version of the day's events and what else that had gone on underneath their noses, they had kicked both Rose and Scorpius out of the room in order to be alone with Nora.

After that, Rose's parents, who were still unofficially the closest thing Nora had to legal guardians, were asked to come down to the school and Uncle Harry had followed them.

It was the day after that the Ministry had joined the fray. Nora had explained to Rose and her friends later, when she had finally been allowed to take a break from being constantly interviewed, that she had, very bluntly, told everyone who talked to her that not using her abilities at all put more people's lives at risk then if she was using them regularly.

Of course, several people had not taken the news very well, especially the men from the ministry. However, many had come to Nora' s defence, by arguing that the fact that she was being honest with them was a major sign that not only did she not have any ill will towards anyone, but also her willingness to work with the ministry in order to put people at ease about the current situation, gave them a positive reflection of Nora's true character.

Rose remembered being very happy when she had heard Nora report that to her. One point to Rose Weasley for being incredibly intelligent, thank you.

Today, however, Nora had been given the privilege of skipping classes in order to accompany Professor Monroe to the Ministry of Magic, where Nora would be asked even more questions before the Board of Governors, as well as the Minister of Magic, decided on how to proceed from that moment on.

Needless to say, Rose felt like she was going to puke.

And she wasn't the only one.

Al was an even bigger jumble of nerves then she was. He continually kept running his hand through his unruly hair, making it so that it now resembled a poorly constructed bird's nest. She had even overheard him talking to his father a few days back about him keeping an eye on Nora when Al couldn't. That was how worried he was.

Scorpius was also very preoccupied with the entire situation. She could easily tell that Nora being in trouble put him on edge, so she had been giving him space for the past few days as he encouraged Nora in his own way.

The one good thing that had been born from this entire affair was that the old Nora was back. While she was still worried about what would happen to her, she did appear to have her old spark back. She had left this morning dressed in a smart-looking black pants suit and wearing her trademark superior grin.

'Don't worry about me, Rosie,' she had said. 'For some reason, I'm feeling really optimistic about what's going to happen today.'

Easy for her to say. She wasn't the one who had been left behind to ring her hands like an old woman fretting over her lost cat.

Rose stared across her at Alice and David, who were ignoring their lunches as they both stared off into space; matching looks of worry painted across their faces. Al sat to her left, his face uncharacteristically pale.

Andy seemed to be the only one who wasn't sulking, as he quickly gulped down his lunch in his spot on the other side of her.

"How can you eat at a time like this?" Rose asked, slightly disgusted. "Nora could be expelled any minute now and you're stuffing your face like a pig."

"Oh, come on," Andy said, rolling his eyes. "Nora was way less nervous then you lot this morning and it's her ass on the line. Besides, it's my birthday today, remember. Everything will be fine."

Dave sighed in exasperation. "Sure, mate. We all know how lucky you are."

Rose huffed, her fingers drumming the tabletop nervously as she scanned the room for a distraction from her thoughts.

And she quickly found one.

"Lovely," Rose muttered unhappily.

"What?" Al asked.

Rose stared at the approaching group of people, a feeling of dread washing over her. Tatiana Zabini, in all of her Amazon like stature, glided effortlessly towards Rose and her friends with Marina Kozlova and three other Slytherin girls; each of them wearing a matching smirk across their heavily made up faces. "Seems Zabini has come to have a chat."

"If Marina mentions one more time how I botched our potion yesterday," David said with a groan upon seeing the group of Slytherin's. "I swear I'll kill myself."

"I don't think they've come to talk about that, David," Alice replied unhappily as Zabini and her cronies gathered together behind the couple.

"Well if it isn't the wonder team," Zabini greeted. "Where's the freak today? Getting her daily shots?"  
"What do you want, Zabini?" Rose replied, giving the girl in front of her a withering look.

"That hurts Weasley. I just stopped by to say hello," Zabini said sweetly. "After all, from what I've heard at least, your little group of goody goody's is going to soon be losing one of its members."

Rose could hear Al's teeth grinding together in anger from where she was sitting, so she quickly decided that it would be in everyone's best interest if she distracted everyone from cursing each other. "What are you talking about, Zabini?" Rose asked.

"I'm talking about how Wilson is finally going to be kicked out of this place. After all, she has been labelled as a menace to society and it was only a matter of time before enough parents complained about their children being in danger," Zabini explained with a laugh.

"Nora is not a menace," Alice said, her cheeks heating in anger. "She's just different from everyone else and that isn't her fault."

Zabini's eyes moved away from Rose to stare down at Alice coldly and Rose's stomach twisted uncomfortably. Rose knew that Zabini respected her far more than most girls at Hogwarts, no matter how much she hated Rose. How she felt about people like Alice was a completely different story. Everyone at Hogwarts knew Alice was probably the nicest, sweetest person on the planet and people like Zabini loved nothing more than trying to make those types of people cry. Rose began to remember vividly the horrors of third year when Zabini had poor Alice convinced she was the size of whale, when all she was, was chubby cheeked. Luckily, Alice had gotten over that period in her life and had developed far more self-confidence in herself, but Rose was in no mood for Zabini to start tearing her down again.

"Did you say something, Longbottom?" Zabini asked menacingly.  
Suddenly David was on his feet and towering over Zabini with a look of distaste. "Get lost, Zabini."

"How touching," Marina simpered from where she stood next to Zabini. "The gentle giant is protecting his mate."

Zabini grinned at her friend's comment, while David bristled.

"Alright," Rose said, getting up from her seat. "That is enough. Zabini, would you please take you and your followers somewhere else before I have to start giving people detention. And that includes you Dave, so sit down before you do something stupid."

Dave grudgingly lowered himself back to his seat but Zabini easily ignored Rose's warning.

"And why would you have to do that?" Zabini questioned. "It's not like we're doing anything wrong. We're just telling you what everyone else is thinking."

"Oh really," Rose replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Enlighten me, Zabini. What exactly is everyone thinking?"

Zabini smirked. "That Wilson needs to be sent back to where she came from. Everyone thinks she's a liability. A bomb waiting to explode. From what I've been told, her father just sent her here so that he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. There are even rumours going around that she blew up a classroom because she couldn't control her little gift and that's why the Ministry has finally decided to get rid of her."

Rose sighed, as she became acutely aware of the several pairs of eyes who were now trained in her direction. "The Ministry isn't getting rid of anyone, Zabini," Rose replied slowly.

"Really," Zabini snorted. "Then where exactly is the freak right now, Weasley? Sipping tea with Monroe?"

Al was on his feet in a flash, his gaze wild. Rose held a hand in front of her cousin's chest, silently gesturing for him to calm down.

Zabini smirked triumphantly over getting a rise out of Al and Rose felt her fingers begin to itch for her wand. What was Zabini trying to achieve with this display? Rose couldn't help but feel that she was here not just because she wanted to mock Nora behind her back or because she was just in one of her moods. No, she was mainly here to remind Rose that she was still very present in Rose's current relationship with Scorpius. Rose felt her temper rise as she thought about how it had been a week since she had told Scorpius to chuck Zabini and he had yet to do anything. While the situation with Nora was a legitimate excuse to put their relationship troubles on the back burner, he could at least assure her that once things got better for Nora that he would break off his relationship with Zabini for good. And it really only took about a minute to properly break up with someone anyway. So, it was no wonder she was a little peeved at the moment.

"Zabini," Rose said slowly, trying to hide her anger. "What exactly is the point of this little conversation?"

Zabini grinned and ignored her question. "Have you seen Scorpius lately? He asked me to meet him here."

Bitch.

"No I haven't seen, Scorpius," Rose replied coolly. "Perhaps I can give him a message for you?"

Rose saw her friends eye her suspiciously, while Al, who was still standing, instantly noticed the change of direction the conversation had taken.

"No, it's alright," Zabini replied innocently. "I am his girlfriend after all. I can wait until he shows up."

Rose eyed the girl in front of her with distaste. Why had Scorpius asked Zabini to meet him? From what she knew, he had been avoiding Zabini as much as humanly possible for the last couple of months and now he was going out of his way to see her?

Rose's eyes widened as a certain thought popped into her head.

Was he going to do what she thought he was going to do?

Everyone around her instantly noticed the change in her demeanour, especially Zabini, as a small secretive smile graced Rose's pale face as she reseated herself, pulling Al gently down with her.

"Oh, I'm sure you can," Rose said, her smile growing wider and Zabini's gaze hardened severely as she tried to figure out what Rose was thinking.

As if on cue, from the corner of her eye, Rose noticed Scorpius enter the Great Hall and all those who had been listening to the conversation unfolding before them, turned to stare at him with interest. Rose saw a slight look of confusion flash across Scorpius' aristocratic face at the stares he was receiving, before his gaze settled on the large number of people grouped at one area of the Gryffindor table. Scorpius' face darkened when, Rose guessed, he noticed who made up the group in question.

Scorpius strode quickly towards them along the side of the table David and Alice were seated at, his presence quickly becoming apparent to everyone around Rose.

"Scorpius," Zabini greeted cheerfully.

Scorpius didn't bother to exchange pleasantries with his wonderful girlfriend and jumped straight to the point. "What's going on?" he asked stonily.

Zabini sighed. "Nothing. We were all just chatting."

Scorpius' eyes looked away from Zabini for a second, his gaze noticing the matching looks of anger on David and Al's faces, before his gaze slid back to Zabini. "About what?" he asked slowly.

"Just about everyone's favourite freak," Zabini replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Which freak?" Scorpius asked in confusion.

"Wilson, of course," Zabini replied and Rose inwardly winced over how easily she had answered. Did she actually have no idea how close Scorpius and Nora were? If neither one of them were distracted by their own problems, they could read each other like open books and Rose had a funny feeling that they knew a few things about each other that neither Rose or Al would be able to figure out unless given clues.

Scorpius' face darkened slightly at Zabini's comment. "How is Nora a freak?"

Zabini snorted. "Really, Scorpius? She's being reviewed by the school's Board of Governor's as we speak because people think she's a menace to society. If that doesn't make her a freak, then I don't know what does."

The chill that came off of Scorpius after Zabini's answer, sent shivers down the backs of everyone in the Great Hall. His head was bent forward in a way that his hair covered his eyes but Rose could tell by the slight twitch of his left shoulder that he was pissed off. What was he going to say next? Rose wasn't sure. However, she had a feeling it wasn't going to be anything good. At least for Zabini.

"Tatiana," Scorpius said in a low steely voice.

"Hm? What is it?" Zabini replied still completely unaware of the situation.

Scorpius paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about what he should say next and Rose couldn't help but hold her breath in anticipation.

And then he lifted his head, opened his mouth and said two words that probably would make Rose happy for the rest of her life.

"It's over," Scorpius said clearly, his voice resonating off of the Great Hall's high stone walls.

The silence that echoed around the hallway was deafening, as people who had heard Scorpius began to stare at him in complete shock.

"What?" Zabini questioned, clearly very confused.

"It's over," Scorpius repeated, just as clear and blunt as before; his expression almost bored.

Rose gaped at him, her brain struggling to catch up with the situation unfolding before her. Was what she had asked for actually happening? Rose shut her eyes for a second, hoping that when she opened them again, she wouldn't be in her bed waking up from a very surprising dream.

She opened them. Nope, this was actually happening.

"I- I don't understand," Zabini stammered as her eyes darted to her friends for support. They just stared back at her blankly.

"It's quite simple really," Scorpius explained, his face blank. "We both no longer like, nor respect each other, so naturally, I think it's time we end this."

Rose glanced around her to see if everyone else was as astonished by this as she was. David, Al and Alice were wearing matching expressions of complete disbelief, while Andy looked about ready to burst out laughing.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me?" Zabini screeched in a high-pitched voice.

"I promise you, I'm not," Scorpius assured, his statement drawing several snorts from the audience gathered in the room, one of them coming from Andy. Scorpius then turned away from Zabini, his eyes travelling to where Rose was sitting.

"Oh, and, Rose?" Scorpius said politely.

Rose had to blink a few times before she realized Scorpius was now talking to her. "Yes," Rose answered, trying in vain to ignore the fact that everyone in the room had now turned their attention towards her.

"We need to get together later and discuss some rather important issues that I've unfortunately been putting off," Scorpius explained, his expression remaining neutral but his eyes were dancing with mischief.

Rose tried her best to suppress the blush that was threatening to appear across her face. That slimy bastard! He knew for a fact that she would be the only one who could understand what he was talking about and that she would be easily embarrassed by his suggestive attitude. Well, two could play at this game.

"Alright," Rose replied, feigning indifference. "But since it's taken you so long to apologize, I'm probably going to be a wee bit unreceptive to some of your... ideas."

Scorpius' cheek twitched as he fought to suppress the smirk that was threatening to appear upon his face, while Rose just stared up at him innocently.

As for everyone else in the room, they all clearly had no idea what was going on. Except for Zabini, who looked about ready to hex someone, and if Rose had to guess, she would probably be the girl's first choice.

Scorpius cleared his throat in an attempt to keep his voice as unanimated as possible. "Well, I'm glad you told me that before we had our meeting. Now I can spend the rest of the afternoon coming up with a proper way to convince you that I am being 100% serious about my plans for the future," he answered in a deep voice that made Rose's stomach dip with excitement.

"I'm glad you're taking this so seriously," Rose replied, her voice cracking slightly as she began to imagine what she might do to Scorpius once they were alone together.

Scorpius - completely without warning - flashed a smile bigger than she had ever seen grace his perfect face, and Rose was pretty sure each person in the room did a double take to make sure they were seeing things properly.

"See you later then, Weasley," Scorpius said, his mega-watt smile still plastered on his face as he turned to look at Zabini. "Tatiana," he said with a nod farewell, but Rose was pretty sure that the dumb-founded look on her face meant she hadn't heard him say her name. Rose could barely contain her glee. Zabini had obviously never seen Scorpius this happy looking and she had once been having sex with him.

Scorpius turned away from where he was standing and walked out of the hall; the eyes of hordes of drooling girls and astonished blokes following him until he was out of sight.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" David exclaimed loudly a few seconds after Scorpius' departure.

Rose, unable to hold back her grin any longer, just turned to her thoroughly confused friend and smiled. "I think he's just having a good day. Wouldn't you if you chucked Zabini in front of everyone," Rose said cheekily.

Rose's insult seemed to snap Zabini out of her shock, causing her to turn and face Rose, eyes blazing with rage.

"You – you ... ugh! You bitch!" Zabini exclaimed shrilly. "I know you had a hand in this! And I'm going to get you back. That much I can promise!"

Rose just gave Zabini a superior look, not even bothering to retort, which only seemed to infuriate Zabini more and she began patting her body down hastily, as if looking for something. The other Slytherin girls flanking Zabini's sides seemed to notice that Zabini patting her body with a mad look in her eyes, was her way of looking for her wand, so they quickly grabbed a hold of her in order to escort her from the room.

"Let go of me you idiots! I'm going to kill that little Weasel!" Zabini raged.

"Now, Tatiana," Marina said sternly as 3 other girls struggled to drag Zabini from the room. "What did your mother teach you about causing scenes in public?"

"Like I give a shit about what my mother thinks!" Zabini screeched as she struggled to get free of her captors.

The entire study hall stared with mild interest as Marina and the rest of the Slytherin girls dragged the she-devil that was Tatiana Zabini from the room before they all sunk down in their seats to gossip amongst themselves, their eyes sometimes popping up to look at Rose.

"Alright," David said in a low voice. "Once again. What the hell was that all about?"

"I'm just as confused as you mate," Andy said wryly. "I think we just saw Malfoy chuck Zabini and then Zabini blame the reason why it happened on Rose, but I may be wrong."

Al snorted before giving Rose a wink, causing her to blush slightly. Zabini had every reason to blame Rose for ending her relationship with Scorpius, especially since she had told him to do so.

"I never thought that would ever happen," Alice said in amazement. "But this should be a wonderful opportunity for someone I know."

Rose gave Alice a dry look, which only made Alice grin like a little kid who had just been given a candy bar.

"Who?" Andy and David asked in unison.

"No one important," Rose answered quickly, shooting Alice a warning glance when the boys weren't looking.

Andy ignored Rose's answer. "Wait. You're telling me that some poor girl fancies that git? Bloody hell, that's hilarious."

Rose gritted her teeth angrily. "There's nothing wrong with him, Andy," she replied testily. "If you just got to know him better, you would realize he's perfectly normal around people he knows."

"You would know," Al muttered under his breath. Rose kicked the side of his leg, effectively shutting him up.

"You know something, Rosie," Andy said, his eyes narrowed accusingly. "You have been acting weird for weeks now. What the hell is going on?"

"I have not been acting weird," Rose lied.

"Then what was that little conversation with Malfoy just now?" David asked, leaning closer to Rose.

"It was nothing," Rose lied. "He was just talking about some head work we haven't been agreeing on."

"You are such a liar, Rose Weasley," Alice exclaimed. "Your mood swings definitely have nothing to do with your head duties. You're having boyfriend troubles, aren't you?"

Rose gaped at Alice, her face turning the colour of tomato. What was she supposed to say? While Scorpius was not officially her boyfriend yet, he was definitely the closest thing to it.

"She has a boyfriend?" David questioned in alarm. "Who?"

"Oh, who do you think, Dave?" Alice replied sarcastically. "I'm sure Al knows."

"Who is it, Rosie?" Andy asked suggestively while nudging her side.

"Would you all stop being so loud," Rose moaned unhappily. "Everyone can hear you."

"Then just tell us who the lucky bloke is," Andy replied, still nudging her side. Rose turned her head and glared at him.

"Ya," Dave said. "I can't think of who it could be. The only blokes you hang around with regularly are me, Andy, Al and..." Dave's voice trailed off and Rose watched miserably as a look of realization spread across his face. "Bloody hell," he swore. "Al, you were right."

"I usually am," Al said, grinning for the first time that day.

"What the hell?" Andy complained. "How, in Merlin's name, do you all know who Rose's secret boy toy is before I do?"

"Because we're not idiots," Al replied dryly.

"He's right, Andy," Alice replied. "It's all very obvious who it could be."

Rose just buried her head in her hands and began to silently pray that the rest of the day would be over very shortly.

"Well it's not bloody obvious to me," Andy whined. "Come on, Rose. Who is it? You know I'll just get what I want to know out of Dave later."

"No," Rose muttered stubbornly.

"If you don't tell me, I'll start making this conversation public," Andy threatened.

Rose lifted her head to look at Andy, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean by public?"

"What I mean by public is, that soon everyone in the room is going to know exactly what we're talking about," Andy answered devilishly, his voice steadily becoming louder.

Rose stared at him in horror. "You wouldn't."  
Andy just grinned before taking a deep breath in.

"Andrew Goss," Rose threatened in a panicked voice. "I swear to God if you start shouting, I will-!"

Andy didn't even let her finish before he started yelling.

"Hey everyone!" he exclaimed, causing several people to jump in surprise. "Guess what? Our esteemed head girl has a -!"

Rose, thinking on her feet, grabbed a roll from the nearest bread basket on the table and shoved it into Andy's gaping mouth, effectively silencing him. However, her shocking reaction was all the inhabitants of the Great Hall needed to know that something fishy was going on.

Rose, now completely mortified, sunk as low as she possibly could into her seat as her friends began to laugh over Andy spitting the roll onto the table, only to start coughing uncontrollably on what, Rose guessed, were crumbs.

"Bloody hell," David laughed, practically crying. "That was amazing." Alice and Al just nodded in agreement as they held their sides, both of them almost doubled over from laughter.

"Merlin, Rosie," Andy exclaimed after his coughing fit had ended. "What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

Rose just grumbled obscenities under her breath. It wasn't fair. She wasn't ready to tell her friends about Scorpius but they were figuring it all out even without her telling them a single thing.

"Just tell him, Rosie," Al said as he attempted to keep a straight face. "He'll just find out later anyway."

"He's right," Andy said with a comical huff. "Besides, I think that you telling me who your love slave is is a proper punishment for trying to kill me with a bloody roll."

"Fine," Rose said miserably. "I'll tell you. But you have to promise to not tell anyone. I don't want this getting out right now."

"Ya, ya," Andy replied with an impatient wave of his hand. "Now, who is it?"

Rose hesitated for a second as she silently searched for the right words to say. Come on, Rosie. You're head girl. It's just like ripping off a band aid. Do it quickly and it will all be over before you know it.

"It'sScorpiusMalfoy," she blurted out, her words slightly incoherent.

"Huh?" Andy said in confusion, as Al, Dave and Alice began to laugh once again.

Rose felt her face heat up in embarrassment, knowing full well that she was beginning to resemble what lobsters looked like after they came out of a pot of boiling water.

"It's Scorpius Malfoy," Rose repeated in a quiet voice.

The dumbfounded look that appeared across Andy's face following her revelation was all she needed to know that he had heard her.

Her friends began to laugh louder upon seeing the shocked look on Andy's face, which led to Rose deciding to give up all hope of her relationship with Scorpius remaining a secret for longer than an hour with all the people who were now staring at them.

"When you say Scorpius Malfoy," Andy said slowly after getting over his initial shock. "You mean the blonde, pale-faced, prat who's gotten on our nerves since were eleven... right?"

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Andrew!" Rose exclaimed. "Of course that's who I mean."

"Alright, alright," Andy said defensively. "Don't bite off my head. I was just making sure. You have to admit that this entire situation has a very twilight zone- like feel to it."

"What?" Rose replied, too exhausted mentally to understand what he was talking about.

"Nothing," Andy said quickly, noting Rose's slightly hysteric appearance. "However, I wish the best of luck to the both of you. Only you could be around someone as depressing as Scorpius Malfoy for long periods of time without going insane, Rose, and that's saying something."

Rose just glared daggers at Andy, as Alice, Al and Dave continued to laugh uproariously in the background.

* * *

A/N - Hello there all. Due to computer malfunctions this chapter would have been up days ago but alas, sometimes things don't always go your way. But luckily things are fixed now. So, it finally happened. Not only did Scorpius dump Zabini, quite spectacularly I might add, but all of Rose's friends now know, to an extent, what is going on between her and Scorpius. Which means soon many other people will be learning the truth. And lets not forget that, right now, Zabini is quite angry, so I wonder what mischief she might get up to. Anyway, please read and review as always and I will try to get an update up as soon as possible. Cheerio :)


	14. Never Let You Go

Chapter 14 – Never Let You Go

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is not mine. He belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

Scorpius emerged from the library as the bell signalling the end of the period echoed through the hallways around him. His free period was over, which meant, on this particular Friday, that his day was finally over. Veering around a group of third years, Scorpius hurried through the halls in the hopes of beating the end of day rush that always left the main corridors clogged with students. As the halls began to fill up, Scorpius became aware of the fact that more people than usual seemed to be staring at him. He grinned, knowing full well why. News travelled fast at Hogwarts. If you let anyone in on a secret of yours, the whole school would most likely know by the end of the day. Still dodging students and praying to Merlin that he didn't run into Tatiana, Scorpius practically sprinted up a flight of stairs, taking the steps two at a time.

Why exactly was he in such a rush? Well, the answer was simple.

Somewhere, – hopefully in the head common room – Rose Weasley was anticipating his speedy arrival.

Scorpius grinned as he began to imagine his lips on Rose's, his hand up the back of her shirt and the other sneaking its way under her -.

Scorpius shook his head in order to clear his thoughts. Focus you idiot. You are going to have to say all the right things to Rose or you are never going to get any of that. But Merlin's beard, he was still unable to describe how he had felt after breaking it off with Tatiana. As soon as he had left the Great Hall at lunch, he had felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and that he could finally breathe again. He had gotten rid of the first obstacle between him and Rose and suddenly he felt as if he could tell his parents everything that he had been keeping bottled up for years.

As the minutes passed and the crowds of people filing into the hallways began to thin, Scorpius rounded yet another corner and entered a hallway that was virtually deserted, save the one person sitting cross-legged against the wall; their eyes closed in thought.

"Nora?" Scorpius exclaimed in surprise, his current problems momentarily forgotten.

Nora's eyes popped open and she turned her head to look at him. "Hey, Scorp," she greeted. "Long time no see."

"I thought you were in London?" Scorpius questioned as he rushed over to her.

Nora sighed as she lifted herself to her feet. "The meeting finished earlier than expected."

Scorpius stared at her as she wiped her hands on her pants, her demeanour still somewhat detached and aloof.

"And?" Scorpius insisted. "What happened?"

"Not much," Nora exhaled noisily. "They talked to me about being responsible, what people think about me, my future goals, blah, blah, blah."

"But what about staying in school?" Scorpius asked fervently.

"Oh, that," Nora said casually. "I get to stay."

Scorpius stared down at her in confusion. "You're not happy about that?" he asked.

Nora heaved a sigh. "I am. Believe me," she replied. "It's just the conditions that go along with staying that I'm worried about."

"Conditions?" Scorpius questioned.

Nora gave him a look before grabbing his arm and dragging him down the hallway towards the nearest empty room. As soon as they were in the room, Nora promptly closed the door behind them before turning back to look at him.

"What's going on, Nora?" Scorpius asked. "You're clearly bothered by something."

"They-," she stopped and made an unpleasant face; as if the words she were about to say gave her an odd taste in her mouth. "They want to test my abilities."

"What?"

"That's exactly what I thought," Nora said in an affronted tone. "It's like they're just asking for trouble."

"Wait," Scorpius said. "That's not what I meant. I thought they already tested you before you started your sixth year? Why are they testing you again?"

Nora huffed unhappily and seated herself on one of the classroom's vacant desks. "They did. However, they only designed tests based on what they thought I could do at the time. For example, they asked me to lift a large box with my mind, and I did it. Now, since they never measured the limits of my abilities, they're starting to wonder how much I can really do."

Scorpius stared at Nora's angry expression as he tried to imagine what she was thinking, while getting himself settled onto the desk in front of Nora so that he was facing her. "And you're worried about that?"

"Of course I am, idiot," Nora exclaimed. "I don't even know how much I can do, since I've never been allowed to try. What if I terrify the people watching into having heart attacks?"

"You must have an idea of how much effort you've used for your magic in the past," Scorpius said softly.

"I do and I don't," Nora said. "My telepathic abilities are still somewhat of a mystery for me and we both know I have certain skills that I didn't even know I had until I accidently used them."

"That's true."

"But my telekinetic abilities are a different thing," Nora replied, a thoughtful look gracing her features. "I know I'm capable of inflicting a lot of damage. You saw how I blew out the windows of that classroom just from not using my powers for too long. Well, I blew out an entire wall, and injured several people, when I was still going to the Academy back in Canada. But those events were just excess energy or emotional stress that built up to the point where I popped. These days, just lifting something like a desk, without my hands, is so easy I barely need to concentrate, so I have no idea what I can accomplish if I actually put 100% effort into something."

Scorpius stared at Nora, her expression wistful as she stared off into an empty corner of the room. So, that was the problem. Nora was worried about the test because she was afraid of how much she would scare people. However, she was also excited at the same time. To be finally given the chance to do things she had never been allowed to do was probably making her more anxious than what other people may think after she did those things. Scorpius wasn't even sure if she realized this fact herself. He let out a small chuckle before asking her a question. "Is there something in particular you've always wanted to try?"

Nora stared at him in surprise. "What?"

"Is there something you've always wanted to see you could do?" Scorpius asked again.

Nora stared at him for a moment, her expression confused before turning pensive. "I don't know," she admitted. "I've never really thought about it."

"Well, now's your chance," Scorpius replied with a grin.

Nora gave him a sour look before her gaze moved towards the ceiling, quickly becoming lost in her own thoughts. As the seconds ticked by, Scorpius watched Nora's expression for any spark of happiness or interest that might clue him into her making some kind of breakthrough. While he had never admitted it to Nora, it was getting easier and easier to figure out what she was thinking as the days passed by. Maybe it was because the wall that she had once had built up around her mind was no longer there or just because he understood her better. Either way, Scorpius could tell by Nora's expression that she wasn't used to imagining a life where her abilities were a major part of it.

"While you're busy imagining new activities you could possibly try out," Scorpius said, as he remembered that he had yet to tell Nora about the day's events. "I have some news."

Nora looked at him in surprise. "News? What kind of news?"

"It's good news. Well, at least I think it is. Some people most likely have different opinions," Scorpius said with a grin.

"What did you do?" Nora asked, her gaze turning suspicious.

"I chucked, Tatiana," Scorpius replied, his grin growing larger. Merlin, just saying those words out loud was enough to make him blissfully happy.

Nora gaped at him. "No, fucking, way," she exclaimed. "You dumped the bitch! This is amazing news!"

Scorpius laughed. "I thought you would say something like that."

"This completely makes my day," Nora gushed. "I can forget about stressful magic tests and mandatory lessons with shady former auror's, because I know that later, you will be making out with Rosie somewhere in the castle."

Scorpius couldn't help his face flushing over Nora's comment, but his embarrassment was quickly chased away by the first part of Nora's comment. "Lessons with shady former auror's? Are you talking about Grant?"

"The one and only," Nora said with a moan. "Apparently, Monroe isn't enough to prep me for my future life in the spotlight and he has things to 'teach' me about the politics of being an auror, as well as what's been happening in the Ministry these past few years."

"And you're allowed to know about that kind of thing?" Scorpius asked in bewilderment.

"Apparently, yes," Nora answered. "I'm of age and Al's dad has made it clear that he is willing to accept me into the auror training program come graduation, as long as my grades are there best, my conduct remains flawless and being an auror is still the occupation I wish to pursue once I have finished school."

"And Monroe and certain people at the Ministry want you to be ready for your position as the Ministries mascot in the coming years," Scorpius finished.

"Exactly."

"Merlin, Nora," Scorpius said with a sigh. "Your life would be a lot easier if you just became a bartender or something."

"That is also true but being an auror is what I want to do with my life. I can't help it if they want to turn me into some sort of respectable role model for kids."

Scorpius snorted at her comment, which earned him a glare from Nora. "Well," she said. "I think I should go find Al and tell him the details. He was more nervous about today than I was, which means he's probably at his wits end by now."

"You're the one dating him."

Nora smirked as she hopped off of the desk she was sitting on. "And every single girl in this school despises me for it."

Scorpius snorted again.

"You should try getting along with him and all the rest of the Weasley's because, if you plan on dating Rose, you're also going to have deal with her family. And I have a feeling they may be a bit shocked by Rose's choice in boyfriends."

Scorpius gave her a stony look. "We'll leave that problem for later. I still have to talk to her. She hasn't officially agreed to be my girlfriend just yet."

"True," Nora said with a sigh as she walked towards the classroom door to open it. "Anyway, I best be off. Good luck my friend, you're going to need it."

"You're hilarious, Wilson," Scorpius replied sarcastically.

Nora just grinned and winked at him, before opening the door and disappearing into the hallway.

Scorpius chuckled softly as he got off of his desk, stretching slightly as he peered uninterestedly around the dimly lit room he was standing in. "Get along with the family, huh," Scorpius murmured to himself, slowly walking towards the rooms exit. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

"Excuse me!" Rose exclaimed, her voice echoing through the crowded hallway. "Head girl coming through! Make a path please!"

"What's your rush, Rosie?" Al asked. "Important head meeting you need to get to?"

Rose glared at him. "Not a word from you, Albus Potter."

With the days classes finally over, Rose was in a hurry to get back to her room, in the hopes that Scorpius would already be there waiting for her.

"Don't tease her too much, Al," Alice said as David began clearing a path for them through the crowd. "If it took her this long to admit to us that she fancies Malfoy, we have no idea how long it's going to take for her to tell her parents."

"Would you lot shut your mouths," Rose hissed. "We are surrounded by people right now."

"Sorry, Rose," Alice apologized.

Rose sighed as she shouldered her way past a group of giggling girls. "It's fine. Just make sure David keeps doing what he's doing, so I can get out of here quickly."

Alice nodded and began urging David forward. Rose could honestly admit, at least to herself, that she didn't mind all her friends knowing how she felt about Scorpius. She had only been lying to herself and everyone else about how she truly felt about Scorpius because she had been trying to forget about him. But now that she had accepted that how she felt about Scorpius was probably not going to change anytime soon, she was starting to have more of an urge to let everyone know why she felt the way she did.

After struggling her way through hordes of students, Rose parted ways with everyone and quickly made her way towards to the head dormitory.

"_Water chestnut_," she said out loud upon reaching the head dorms entrance. The wolf and golden retriever perked up as they always did upon hearing her voice and the portrait swung open allowing her to enter the room. Rose quickly rushed in, her insides fluttering with excitement over seeing Scorpius waiting for her in his armchair, only to find the common room empty.

Rose let out a disappointed sigh and sank down onto the only couch in the room. It wasn't as if Scorpius had told her a specific time to meet him. All he had said at lunch was that they would talk later and since he wasn't in her last class, she had no idea where he was right now.

Resigning herself to the fact that Scorpius might not get back to the room for some time, Rose decided that it would be in her best interest to figure out how she was going to act when Scorpius arrived.

Ten minutes later, Rose still hadn't come to a conclusion about how she should act when Scorpius arrived. Did she act indifferent to the point where she had him grovelling at her feet or just throw herself at him. Rose huffed impatiently as she stared at the old grandfather clock. Rose wasn't sure if she was nervous, excited, hormonal or all of the above, but there was one thing she did know, and that was that Scorpius needed to hurry the hell up before she went crazy from anticipation.

As if on cue, Rose's ears perked up upon hearing the audible sound of the portrait hole creaking open, followed by footsteps echoing down the small corridor into the common room.

Rose couldn't help but hold her breath as she straightened in her seat and when Scorpius' figure appeared from around the corner, Rose let out a sigh of relief so loud that Scorpius chuckled at the sound.

"Hoping I wasn't Monroe or Longbottom coming to talk about our patrol routes," Scorpius replied brightly.

"Maybe," Rose admitted nervously, as she tried to contain the sudden urge to throw herself at Scorpius.

Obviously noticing her impatience, Scorpius walked towards her and took a seat on the coffee table in front of where she was seated, so that he was facing her. Hesitantly, he extended both of his hands towards her, his shoulders tensing slightly. Without saying a word, Rose placed her hands in his and watched as his shoulders relaxed.

"Sorry I took so long," Scorpius apologized.

Knowing that he was talking about breaking things off with Zabini, Rose squeezed his hand reassuringly in response. "S'okay," Rose said softly, some of her impatience retreating. "Your indecisiveness is somewhat cute.  
Scorpius snorted before smiling at her. "Cute?"

"I said somewhat," she reminded him and he dropped his head slightly to stare at their entwined hands as he awkwardly cleared his throat.

After a moment of silence, Scorpius lifted his head and stared at her, his expression serious.

"I'm going to say this again," he said. "It won't be easy dating someone like me."

Rose heaved a slightly exasperated sigh. "I know."

"My family will be hard for you to deal with," he added.

"I know."

"And everyone is going to be on our case."

"I know, Scorpius," Rose repeated with a reassuring smile, as Scorpius anxiously started rubbing her palms with his thumbs. "I'm not going to be easy to date either. My families huge, obnoxious and will always be in our business, and I'm short-tempered, slightly dense about my feelings, and jump to conclusions very easily."

"That's true," Scorpius said with a nod.

Rose gave him a dark look before continuing.

"Nevertheless, what I'm trying to say is that I don't think any relationship is supposed to be easy," Rose said thoughtfully. "You just have to love each other and work from there."

"You have a point there," Scorpius replied, his expression brightening slightly.

Happy at the change in his expression, Rose continued to argue her point. "I mean, look at what Al has to go through with Nora and he's still happier than I've ever seen him in a long time. Then again, Dave and Alice have no problems whatsoever and they're bloody happy all the time."

Scorpius chuckled lightly before responding. "You're rambling, Rose."

"Oh," Rose said. "That's another flaw of mine, the tendency to ramble. You'll have to watch out for that. And I really have a thing for chocolate. I'm not sure if that's a flaw, but you will definitely get in my good graces if one day you show up at my bedroom door with a giant carton of chocolate frogs."

"Rose," Scorpius said, a slight hint of amusement hanging off her voice.

"Hm?"

"The way you're talking right now, makes it sound like we're already dating," Scorpius replied, a smirk appearing on his face.

Rose blinked in surprise before stuttering a response. "W-Well, I'm sorry. It seems that I got ahead of myself," she replied irritably. "Would you like me to ask for your permission first?"

The laugh that erupted from Scorpius at her question left Rose slightly dazed. He had sounded so carefree, so happy. Merlin's beard, she could get used to hearing that.

Scorpius leaned forward, while pulling her towards him so that she was half falling off of the couch, leaving only about an inch or two between both of their faces. "Yes, please," he answered with a crooked smile.

Gah! Rose could hear the thump of her speeding heartbeat echoing in her ears and she was pretty sure Scorpius could hear it as well. Rose gulped, trying her best to calm down. Wasn't she supposed to have been seducing him or at least be slightly peeved at how he had been handling things? Nevertheless, as she stared into his intoxicating grey eyes, she found herself forgetting about all her problems.

Merlin, he was good.

"Alright," Rose said slowly in order to keep her voice from shaking. "Would you like to go out with me, Scorpius Malfoy?"

Upon finishing her question, Scorpius' face broke out into a radiant smile before closing the distance between the two of them and capturing her lips in one of the most mind-blowing kisses she had ever experienced in her short seventeen year life. Scorpius pulled his hands from hers, only to use them to take a hold of her face; his fingers tangling themselves into her curls.

Rose felt as if she were on auto-pilot. All of her senses were so focused on what Scorpius was doing to her, that she failed to noticethat he had left his seat on the coffee table and had managed to manoeuvre their bodies so that she was now lying on the couch and he was on top of her, all the while keeping his lips firmly attached to hers.

Unfortunately, since they both needed oxygen in order to continue living, Scorpius pulled his lips away from hers, panting heavily as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Well," Rose squeaked as she tried to catch her breath. "Consider me properly seduced."

Scorpius let out a laugh as he moved his head away from her forehead and buried it in the crook of her neck.

"I'm not kidding," Rose stuttered, as she felt Scorpius' lips press themselves against her neck. "Right now, I'm pretty sure I'm willing to let you do anything to me right now."

"There's plenty of time for that," Scorpius muttered huskily.

"Merlin, Scorpius," Rose gushed. "If you don't stop, I'm going to lose it."

Rose felt Scorpius' lopsided grin appear against her skin as he continued applying light kisses to her neck.

"You also haven't answered my question," Rose said shakily.

"I thought the answer was obvious," he mumbled.

"Let's pretend I'm an idiot," Rose said with a huff.

With what looked like a lot of effort on his part – something Rose was very pleased about – Scorpius lifted his head from her neck and stared down at her. "Yes, Rose Weasley," Scorpius replied slowly. "I will go out with you."

Rose felt her insides light in triumph and she couldn't help but grin stupidly up at him. "You do realize that officially, out of the two of us, I was the only one who was able to properly ask one of us out."

Scorpius just stared down at her blankly for a moment before responding. "You talk way too much for a person who is currently pinned to a couch."

Rose stared at him in confusion for a moment before noticing that with Scorpius half on top of her and her arms stuck beneath him, she was going nowhere anytime soon.

"Oh."

"So, while you may have been the first out of the two of us to make our current relationship official," Scorpius continued, his expression slowly morphing into, what Rose believed, was how a predator looked while stalking his prey. "Let's never forget how much of an ass you were before you realized you actually fancied me."

Rose couldn't help but laugh nervously. "Right. How about we call it even then?"

"My dear, Rose," Scorpius said with an exaggerated shake of his head as one of his hands began to move from its position by her head and towards her side. "Have you forgotten that I'm a Slytherin. It's in our nature to be unforgiving."

"You can always go against societies norms," Rose said quickly as she felt Scorpius hand snake under her oxford.

"I'm dating you aren't I," Scorpius replied honestly.

Before Rose could give a response, Scorpius wayward travelling hand took a hold of her side and, much to her surprise, began to tickle her.

"Bloody- ! Scorpius g-get off me!" she laughed as she tried to wriggle away from his assault.

"Don't want to," he grinned.

Rose tried her best to glare up at him but with him tickling her side, she was failing miserably at it through her laughter. "You," Rose wheezed as Scorpius' other hand wound its way to her other side. "Are a sadistic bastard, Scorpius Malfoy."

Scorpius just grinned down on her with a smile that lit up his entire face before recapturing her lips with his.

As Rose reciprocated the kiss, she couldn't help but feel as if she could never be any happier. While she wasn't sure what the future was going to bring, there was one thing she was sure of. She was meant to end up with Scorpius and she wasn't planning on giving him up anytime soon.

* * *

A/N- So here it is. Sorry it took so long for me to update everyone. Life has been hectic lately so I haven't had much time to write as I would like. Anyway, so Rosie and Scorp are now officially together (YAY) and I hoped you enjoy the considerable amount of fluff in this chapter as well. Also, it looks like we're all going to get to see what kind of damage Nora can really do, which is something I am looking forward to writing. Remember to read and review and I will see if I can update quicker for chapter 15. Ciao :)


	15. Caught

Chapter 15 – Caught

Disclaimer - Harry Potter is not mine, no matter how many stars I wish upon.

* * *

"Hugo, my goodness, you've practically grown an inch since I last saw you," Rose's mother commented on the drive home from King's Cross station.

Rose looked over at her brother on the seat beside her. It was true, he had gotten much taller. He was probably close to the same height as their dad.

Hugo just grumbled some unintelligible answer before putting on his headphones and turning his music on. Rose jumped slightly when Hugo audibly cranked his music as loudly as it could possibly go.

Rose heard her mother make a noise of disapproval, before her reflection in the rear-view mirror turned so that she could see Rose's face. "You've been awfully quiet, Rosie," Rose's mother said. "I have yet to hear about what you've been up to these past couple of weeks. You barely put anything into your letters home and, let me tell you this now; your father is worried that you have a boyfriend again."

Rose heard the audible snort from the front passenger seat where Nora was seated, which she quickly attempted to cover up as a cough when Rose's mother looked at Nora with a curious look on her face.

"Really?" Rose laughed nervously.

It was a lie, but she was not about to admit that Scorpius Malfoy was her boyfriend on the car ride home, while her mother was driving and Nora and Hugo were there to witness the fallout.

It had been a few weeks since Scorpius and Rose had 'officially' begun to date. Although, their relationship was still mostly a secret, with only Nora, Al, Dave, Alice, Andy and, Rose assumed, Zabini, knowing that the Head Boy and Girl were more than just partners or acquaintances these days. The reason why no one had figured out what was going on, was because Rose wanted to make sure that she was the one to tell her parents what Scorpius was to her, not rumours circulating around the Ministry of Magic started by the parents of kids who attended Hogwarts. Luckily, keeping the secret was easier than Rose thought it would be. No one seemed to question when the Head Boy and Girl were seen alone together or had to meet up, and since everyone was so used to Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley having a strained relationship, no one suspected, that behind closed doors, all she wanted to do was snog him to the point of no return. They just had to be careful that no one ever caught them engaging in more than platonic acts.

"Really," her mother replied with a chuckle. "Harry says that he's been right out of sorts for weeks now, since he's afraid you're going to introduce him over the holidays and he's constantly asking him for advice."

Nora let out a loud laugh at this statement. "I love your father, Rose."

Rose tried to hide her growing discomfort with the most genuine smile she could muster. "Don't worry mum. I'll let you know when my relationship status changes, so you can break it to dad in the nicest way possible."

"Thank you so much, Rose," her mother responded sarcastically as she steered the car into the driveway of their house.

Once the car had come to a complete stop, Nora, being much more upbeat these days, decided to further her torture with yet another smart ass comment. "Just wait, Hermione," Nora warned opening the door of the car. "When Papa Weasley finds out, one of these days, about his baby girl being deflowered, it's going to be one hell of a day in the Weasley household. And that day will probably be coming sooner than later. Right, Rosie?"

Rose just gaped at her friend, completely mortified. "Nora!" she screeched.

Rose's mother's eyes were wide and questioning as Nora cackled from the front seat. Luckily, Hugo was now getting out of the car and still had his headphones in, so he was completely oblivious to what was unfolding right in front of his eyes.

"What exactly is she talking about Rose?" her mother asked in confusion while unbuckling her seatbelt.

"I have no idea," Rose said through gritted teeth as Nora continued laughing as she got out of the car.

Rose knew by the expression on her mother's face, that she hadn't believed her answer, but instead of pressing the subject, she just sighed as they both exited the car. Walking over to the now open car trunk, Rose lifted her magically shrunken luggage out and carried it towards the house; trying in vain to ignore Nora's suggestive eyebrow waggling. Merlin, she could be obnoxious when she wanted to be.

As Hugo had already entered the house, leaving the door open behind him, Rose walked inside her front hall unhindered and placed her luggage on the floor before pulling out her wand and restoring it to its original size.

"Hullo, Rosie," a loud familiar voice called out from behind her.

Rose turned and beamed at her father, who was coming down the stairs to greet her. "Hey, dad," she replied back before he reached her and enveloped her in his arms.

"How was the trip back?" he asked after releasing her from his arms. "Anything eventful happen?"

"Nothing of great importance, Mr. Weasley," Nora proclaimed from behind her.

"Nora!" Rose's dad proclaimed; arm's open wide once more as he went towards Nora to give her a hug as well.

After everyone had thoroughly greeted each other and her parents had asked her about a hundred questions about how school was, Rose was able to escape to her room to unpack her clothes and the homework that she had brought home for the holidays.

"Need any help?" A voice asked and Rose turned to see Nora leaning against the open doorway to her room.

Rose frowned in her friend's direction. "I don't need any help from you, thank you."

"Oh come on, Rose," Nora said with a laugh and walked into the room to sit on the side of her bed. "I was just kidding around."

"Well I didn't really think what you said was all that funny," Rose answered unhappily. "What if my mother had taken you seriously? I'm horrible at lying as it is."

"Then why don't you just tell the truth?" Nora said, one of her perfectly maintained eyebrows arching questioningly.

"I will," Rose replied. "But first Scorpius and I have to decide what time to tell our parents. We both want to do it on the same day in order to avoid complications."

"And did you decide what day that was going to be?"

"No," Rose replied uncomfortably. "We never really got around to it."

Nora let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear you two have to be the biggest idiots in the entire wizarding world."

"Excuse me," Rose said warningly.

Nora ignored her and got up from her seat. "I'll cover for you then."

"What?"

Nora shot her an annoyed look before explaining. "You need to talk to Scorpius, correct?"

"Yes."

"Therefore, I will come up with an excuse that will get you out of the house without your parents worrying about where you've gone off to," she explained. "For example, I need to finish my Christmas shopping. Pretending that I am in dire need of your assistance in finding a gift for Al, you can pretend that you're coming with me, when you're really going to meet Scorpius so the two of you can spend some quality time together."

"But if you come back home without me, my parents will know something is up," Rose protested.

"We'll arrange a time to meet up," Nora countered.

"Well," Rose said anxiously. "How are we going to tell him the plan? I can't, very well, just call him up."

"I'll send him in an owl," Nora responded with a smug look. "No one here, or at Malfoy Manor, will question the idea of _me_ sending a letter to Scorpius."

Rose opened up her mouth to say something, but closed it when she noticed the 'just try it' look on Nora's face. "Fine," Rose replied. "Send Scorpius a letter telling him to meet me outside the Leaky Cauldron, in Muggle London, tomorrow morning."

Nora smiled at her. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"So he should be here in about 10 minutes," Nora said, looking down at the cell phone her father had ordered them to take with them downtown. Rose hated the silly little muggle devices but Nora had argued that they were handy when actually in the muggle world. "Remember to meet me back here at 5 so that we can head back home together."

Rose exhaled loudly before giving Nora the once over. Rose suspected that her father had forced the phone on them because Nora had put on makeup this morning, as well as a white peacoat jacket with a pair of skinny jeans tucked into high heel winter boots. She was even wearing a girly looking light pink, form fitting, v-neck sweater under her coat; something that Rose had no idea she actually owned. Everyone at home had gotten so used to her walking around in sweatpants, multi-coloured t-shirts and not doing anything with her hair or refusing to put on makeup, that they had all forgotten that, once she tried, Nora made men walk into telephone poles because they were too busy staring at her while they walked down the street. Thus, her father's need to be in contact with her at all times.

"You're awfully dressed up for shopping," Rose said. "What are you actually doing today?"

"Double date with Al, Alice and Dave."

Rose paled. "You got roped into another one?"

"Yes," Nora answered her expression forlorn. "But, this time, Al is choosing what we're doing, so I'm not too worried."

"I see."

"Yup. Oh, I almost forgot. Alice is going to grill you for details about your date with Scorpius later, so you better be ready with a detailed report," Nora explained.

"What?" Rose spluttered in surprise.

"I know it's a bother, but just play along with her," Nora replied.

"No. You just said date, right?" Rose replied uncertainly.

"So?" Nora said in confusion.

"I completely didn't realize that this was going to be a date!"

"Huh? Why did you think I made you take off that stupid winter jacket of yours and put on the leather jacket you're wearing now?"

"I thought you were just being picky," Rose protested.

Nora just gaped at her, which only made her anxiety spike rapidly.

"What do I do?" Rose asked, now beginning to panic.

The look Nora gave her in response was enough to make her wince. "Rose Weasley, I am _this_ close to slapping you," she said angrily, before lifting a hand and pointing her index finger menacingly in her direction. "Today, you will talk to Scorpius about telling your parents about the two of you. I don't care if you do it tonight, on Christmas or in your bloody bra and underwear while hula dancing, but you will tell them before we go back to school. Do I make myself clear?"

Rose just nodded meekly in response.

Her answer seemed to placate Nora enough for her to calm down. "Good. Well I better go meet everyone. Have fun, darling." And with a turn on her heel, Nora apparated away from the place where she had been standing; leaving Rose alone to punish herself for being so stupid.

Now that she thought about it, it was incredibly obvious that this was a date. Merlin's beard, she hadn't even made an effort when she was picking out her clothes this morning, but at least she had had the sense to make sure her hair wasn't a frizzy mess today. She sighed and leaned up against the wall of one of the shops beside the Leaky Cauldron, too lazy to stand on her own at the moment. Maybe she was so used to Scorpius seeing her in various states of dress, that she had stopped worrying about how he thought she looked. At least on regular days. Rose stared up at the grey sky and began to imagine scenario's where she would tell her parents that she currently fancied the pants off of Scorpius Malfoy and was now dating him because he felt the same way. She snorted out loud when she imagined the stupefied look that would appear on her father's face after hearing her confess something like that.

Nora was right though, she had to tell them, and soon. It would be very bad news if her parents found out from someone else other than her. Something told her they would be much less willing to accept Scorpius if they thought she was never planning on telling them about him in the first place.

"Boo," a quiet voice suddenly whispered in her ear. Rose couldn't help but screech in surprise and jump away from the voice, as if preparing to attack whoever was responsible. However, Rose held herself back when she saw the grinning face of her boyfriend, Scorpius Malfoy.

"You," she said slowly, putting a hand over her heart. "Are a giant ass, Scorpius Malfoy."

"And yet," he said, closing the gap between them and wrapping his arms around her. "You chose to date this giant ass out of all the other men who would gladly fall at your feet."

"It's because I'm mentally unstable," she replied with mock seriousness. "Completely barmy."

Scorpius let out a loud laugh before lifting one of his hands to her chin to hold her face in place. "Such a kidder," he replied softly as he lowered his head and claimed her lips with his own. The usual stars began to dance across Rose's vision and she couldn't help but sigh in pleasure. Scorpius groaned as he pulled his lips away from her and pulled her even closer to him.

"What's wrong," Rose asked worriedly.

Scorpius rested his head on her shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. "Please don't make those kinds of noises when I'm kissing you. It makes it very hard to resist the urge to go rent us a room for the day."

Rose took a step back from Scorpius with lightning speed; her eyes as round as a pair of saucers. "Down boy," she replied nervously.

"Sorry 'bout that," he replied sheepishly. "I'll control myself. You look lovely today by the way."

Rose gave him a derisive look and decided to let his comment slide. That conversation would have to be left for another day. "So, have any particular place you'd like to go? I think we should avoid going anywhere near our world today."

"Don't you worry, Rose," Scorpius said suavely, closing the distance between them by wrapping one of his arms comfortably around her neck. "I have the day planned out already."

"In _muggle_ London?" Rose asked in surprise.

"You're surprised I see," he said with a smirk. "I'm not as oblivious about the muggle world as you think."

"And who do I have to thank for that?"

"My mother," he replied. Rose laughed and Scorpius continued. "She believed I should have an appreciation for both the wizarding and the muggle world, much to my grandfather's disdain. When I was younger, she would take me out on day trips downtown about once every month. We'd go to her favourite restaurants, explore the sites, visit the British Museum and so on."

"You'd pretend to be a muggle tourist for the day," Rose commented.

"Exactly," he grinned.

"Alright," she replied with a smile. "I'll let you play tour guide for the day."

The rest of the morning passed by in a flash and Rose wasn't going to lie; Scorpius was excellent company when exploring downtown London. Upon his insistence, the two of them had ridden the London Underground to Camden Town station in order to explore the markets and Rose had to admit, Scorpius had been smart to take her there. Even though the skies were grey and winter's chill was starting to settle itself into the streets of London, the market area was still bustling with people doing last minute Christmas shopping, entertainers on corners singing songs for the Christmas season and happy shop owners, raking in copious amounts of muggle money from eager customers.

After a morning of exploring the sites, Scorpius then insisted on taking her to a specific restaurant that his mother often took him to when he was younger. Once they were inside, the hostess at the front door greeted them cheerfully before leading them to their seats at table in the center of the restaurants dining area.

"Your server will be here in just a moment to take your orders," the hostess said with a smile. "Enjoy your meal."

Scorpius and Rose thanked the woman and opened the menus that the hostess had brought to the table for them.

"The steak here is bloody amazing, by the way," Scorpius gushed. "I recommend it."

Rose smiled at him. He had been so positive and upbeat the entire day, that Rose had practically forgotten how nervous she had been earlier.

"You're awfully cheery today, Scorpius," Rose commented.

"Well I was looking forward to all of this," he answered with an absent-minded wave of his hand. "While I don't mind how much fun it is sneaking around Hogwarts with you, we've still been together for about a month and still haven't been able to go out just the two of us, just like any other regular couple."

"That is true," Rose replied, while ignoring his comment about how fun it was sneaking around with her. The waiter then appeared at their table to ask them what they would like to drink. After telling Rob – the waiter – what they wanted, he left quickly, leaving Rose to ponder the rest of Scorpius' statement. No matter how she looked at it, pretending to be normal, when they weren't, was not healthy for their relationship. She wasn't going to deny that she hadn't found the sneaking around exciting or that she didn't find the fantasy of being an average teenage muggle couple highly favourable. However, if they continued to depend on the times where they could pretend to be someone else in order to be together properly, she had a feeling the reasons why they fell for each other in the first place would be forgotten and their relationship would fall apart.

"We shouldn't have to pretend," Rose said with a sigh.

"What?" Scorpius replied in surprise.

"We shouldn't have to pretend to be some random muggle couple and have to sneak around the muggle world, because we'll be caught if we go anywhere in our own world. We should be able to do whatever the hell we want," Rose answered unhappily.

Scorpius sighed and pushed his menu to the side. "I know."

"Then what should we do?" Rose asked.

"I believe, we should do what we came out today to discuss," Scorpius paused. "We need to tell our parents about us."

Rose made a face. "Which is much easier said than done."

Scorpius chuckled. "We still have to do it."

"I know. Nora already threatened bodily harm if we don't confess by the time break is over."

Scorpius laughed and, as if on cue, the waiter returned to take their order for lunch.

Once the waiter and left with their order, they both began to ponder what time would be best to tell their parents the news.

"Should we do it before New Year's?" Rose questioned.

"I don't know about that," Scorpius replied. "Both our families go to the Minister's Ball. There's the possibility that, that will be the first time our father's see each other if we tell them before that night."

Rose cringed as she imagined that meeting. "My dad would probably do something idiotic."

Scorpius let out an exasperated sigh. "We appear to be horrible at being honest with our parents, luv."

"Makes you wonder if we were meant to be, doesn't it?"

Scorpius chuckled before reaching out and taking her hand in his. "Looks that way," he replied lifting her hand to his lips.

Rose's insides melted over the intimacy of his kiss. Whether it made sense or not, she was irrevocably in love with Scorpius Malfoy. If and when she told her parents about the two of them, would she stop seeing him if they told her to? No, she wouldn't. She was of legal age and could move out whenever she wanted to. She could make her own decisions and her mind was already made up about Scorpius.

"Let's tell them tonight," Rose said firmly as she stared down at their entwined hands resting on the tabletop.

Scorpius squeezed her hand. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied firmly. "We're adults. If they don't approve, then... then to hell with them."

Scorpius grinned. "You would never tell your parents that."

"I know that," she replied with a sniff. "But who knows what I could do if I was pushed to the limit. We redheads are a temperamental bunch."

Scorpius laughed aloud, causing a few heads to turn in their direction. "You somehow always manage to surprise me, Rose and I hope that never changes."

Rose smiled warmly at him before leaning towards him and giving him a soft kiss on the lips. Oddly enough, Rose noticed a faint flash of light from the corner of her eyes once her lips touched Scorpius' but, deciding she was imagining things, she paid it no heed.

Once she pulled away, satisfied with the pleased look on Scorpius' face, Rose repeated her earlier statement. "We'll tell our parents about us tonight and not a moment later. Promise."

"Promise. However, kissing me again may make me far more motivated for later, love," Scorpius suggested with a smirk.

Rose gave him an exasperated look as she cheeks coloured slightly. "You're such a git, Malfoy."

Scorpius opened his mouth to say something else, when his expression suddenly changed from pleased, to an expression of confused shock as his gaze fixed itself on something over her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Scorpius," Rose asked worriedly.

Scorpius gritted his teeth and responded with one, very self-explanatory, word for the approaching problem.

"Shit."

"Well, well," a familiar voice proclaimed from behind Rose. "What do we have here?"

Rose could tell from how pale Scorpius was becoming, that they were both in serious trouble. Turning her head to look behind her, Rose greeted their uninvited guest with a glare as she tried to hide the urge to grab Scorpius and bolt from the restaurant.

"Zabini," she greeted frostily. "Why am I not surprised you're here?"

Zabini just sneered in her direction as she walked towards them from where she had been keeping herself hidden.

"What do you want, Tatiana?" Scorpius asked heatedly, getting straight to the point.

"Not much," she simpered. "I just thought I'd let you both know, that ever since you walked into this quaint little restaurant, a Daily Prophet photographer has been watching and taking a few photos of the both of you."

Rose gaped at Zabini. "What?"

"He's right over there," Zabini said with a large grin as she gestured over to one of the booths on the opposite side of the restaurant. The man sitting there, as if on cue, pulled out an older magically altered camera and snapped a photo of them when Rose looked his way.

"Tatiana," Scorpius said, his voice furious. "What have you done?"

"I caught you two," Zabini responded honestly. "In the worst way possible. To be honest, this wasn't what I had planned on doing today. Actually, earlier, I stopped by Malfoy Manor so I could talk to you, only to find out from your mother that you were out with a friend."

Rose turned to look at Scorpius, his eyes wide in alarm.

Zabini continued. "Of course, since your mother doesn't know why the two of us broke up, she had assumed that you would be out with me so that we could talk things over, over lunch."

"Why in the world would she think that?" Rose asked, her shock being replaced with anger.

"Because, like the good boy that he is, he told his mother about a few places he was visiting and one of them was one of her favourite restaurants." Zabini replied simply. "And Scorpius and I both know, he only takes special people to his mummy's favourite places."

Rose, from the corner of her eye, saw the photographer get up from where he was sitting and saunter towards them. Her immediate reaction was to shoot up from her seat and curse the man's balls off, but she knew that there were far too many muggle's around to do something like that, not to mention the fallout would hurt her family. And then the sickening realization that the photographer was not to blame for what was happening settled into the pit of her stomach. This man was only doing his job, Zabini was the reason he was here and she had not been careful enough to not get caught.

The man stopped beside Zabini. "Thanks for the tip, love," the man thanked her. "These photos will get me top dollar at the Prophet or Witch Weekly."

"We had a deal, remember," Zabini replied coldly. "I'm the one who handed you this juicy bit of gossip and I expect to be compensated for it."

"Alright, alright. No need to get your knickers in a twist," he replied with a wave of his hand before nodding curtly in Scorpius and Rose's direction. "Miss. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy. Have a good day."

Rose, even while knowing he wasn't the one to blame for this entire charade, shot the man an icy glare that he instantly took note of before hurrying out of the restaurant. At this point, other people in the room were staring curiously at Scorpius, Zabini and herself, all of them muttering theories about what was going on to the person sitting next to them. Rose scooted herself lower into her seat in order to hide her embarrassment. And it was only going to get worse from here. No one in this room knew who she was, while about 99% of the wizard and witch population of the UK knew exactly who she was.

"Do you know what you've done?" Scorpius exclaimed, his eyes dancing with fury.

"Yes," Zabini responded happily. "Not only have I made a bit of money, but I've also made both of your lives miserable, making this a good day all around."

Rose imagined pulling out every strand of Zabini long luxurious black hair, one by one, inside her head. She inwardly chuckled as her imagination conjured up an image of Zabini bald and mortified.

"You're a fool, Tatiana," Scorpius said sharply, as he rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Without knowing exactly how much the meal had cost, Scorpius put, what looked to be almost two hundred pounds, down on the table with an audible thunk. He stood up and walked over to the back of Rose's chair, helping her out of it. His hand instantly went for hers and she was surprised to feel him shaking with rage; his anger rolling off him in waves as he glared menacingly over at Zabini.

"If you think," he continued. "That this will not cost your family; you have sorely underestimated by grandfather."

Rose gripped his hand tighter, as if to silently conveying him to calm down as she noticed Zabini's confident demeanour waver. Rose believed that no one wanted to get on the bad side of Lucius Malfoy and she knew that she wasn't looking forward to being there either.

"Waiter," Scorpius barked over his shoulder, towards the group of waiters and waitresses who had been watching the scene unfold in front of them. The man who had served them physically jumped before responding.

"Yes," he replied hesitantly.

Scorpius pointed at the table. "Keep the change." Scorpius then turned to stare at the other people in the restaurant and bowed his head in apology. "We are deeply sorry for disturbing your meals."

Rose stared at him in awe as he turned to look at her. "Let's go, Rose," he said his voice calmer. And without another glance at Zabini, Scorpius walked briskly towards the restaurants front door, pulling her behind him and out into the chilled afternoon air.

Rose wasn't sure how long or how far they walked before Scorpius suddenly came to a stop on a street corner. He was silent for a moment, his head bowed in thought, before he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm sorry for what happened back there. I didn't think she would do something like that," Scorpius replied apologetically.

"There's no need to apologize. What's done is done," Rose replied with a voice that was much calmer than how she was actually feeling. "Now, we have to do some damage control."

"Alright," Scorpius replied. "We'll tell our parents tonight, just like we planned. And then?"

"And then...," Rose paused. "And then we just get ready for whatever comes at us next. Because I think we can handle it."

Scorpius gave her a broad smile; his expression morphing into what she imagined Roman gladiators looked like before they went marching into the ring for a fight. "I'd have to agree with you there, Weasley."

* * *

A/N - Let me begin by saying I am terribly sorry for how long it took me to update. I was both very busy this summer moving from one house to another and then another and lazy at the same time, so things kind of got away from me. It's funny how going back to school focuses you though. Anyway, the shit is about to hit the fan. Scorpius and Rose are about to be exposed, so expect some drama filled chapters to come. I will try to update faster than how long it took me this time, but I shall make no promises since I suck at keeping them apparently. Please read and review, for I love all of you that do.


	16. Confessions

Chapter 16 – Confessions

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is not mine, but if anyone can pull it off, he's on my Christmas list.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Nora said slowly. "The two of you were left alone for only a few hours in muggle London and yet, somehow, managed to not only run into Zabini, but get your picture taken by someone who works for the Daily Prophet?"

Rose fidgeted uncomfortably under her friends accusatory gaze. "Well when you say it like that," she replied unhappily. "You make us sound like idiots."

Nora sighed and began to pace back and forth inside Rose's bedroom; several pairs of eyes following her as she moved. After meeting up with Nora and everyone at the meeting point, Scorpius had quickly said his goodbyes and gone back home, while Rose had informed her friends of what had conspired earlier that day. Needless to say, they were all a bit shocked.

"Al," Nora said with a tired voice. "Do you know how long something like a picture of Rose and Scorpius snogging would take to be published at the Prophet?"

"Hard to say," Al replied from where he was leaning up against the wall. "My mom says that they make big news top priority, so it could be out by tomorrow. It all depends on when the bloke who took the photo turns it over to them."

"Either way," Rose said. "Scorpius and I are going to tell our parents tonight. We'll just have to worry about everyone else finding out later."

Nora exhaled noisily before giving her a small smile. "Well I am glad that the two of you grew a pair and have decided to fess up to your parents. I'm just worried that they won't take a picture of you with Scorpius plastered all over the papers very well. Your father has never been the reasonable sort."

"But don't you think it's romantic," Alice said with a pleased sigh from where she was seated at Rose's desk. "Rose is so in love with Malfoy that she's willing to risk the wrath of her parents and the scrutiny of society in order to be with him."

Rose's cheeks flamed instantly over Alice's statement, while everyone else in the room stared at Alice the way a person looked when they smelled a skunk nearby.

"Wrath?" David questioned in confusion.

"That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life, Alice," Nora replied in disgust.

Alice huffed angrily and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I'm sorry to have offended you, but it is true. She's sticking with him, even though whatever happens next is going to be stressful."

"I agree. I would never want to have to meet Malfoy's family," David replied, backing Alice up.

Rose cringed at the thought, which Nora noticed immediately. "You idiot! Don't make her regret her decision to tell her parents about Scorpius."

David shrunk back from Nora's cold gaze and Rose, feeling for her friend, decided to save him from any further insults.

"Don't worry, Nora. I've made up my mind about telling them."

"Well that's good," Nora replied, her body relaxing. Dave let out a sigh of relief. "I'm just wondering if there would be any way to stop this article from being printed."

"We could go to the Prophet," Alice suggested.

"And do what once we get there?" Nora asked. "Have me threaten the editor with bodily harm if he doesn't listen to our demands. Yes, that will go over well."

"The story about Rose and Malfoy would probably be forgotten though," David replied heedlessly.

Al snorted as Nora shot David a withering look. "The two of you," she said, pointing to Alice and David. "Were made for each other."

Rose sighed over how easily Nora could turn a statement usually reserved for complimenting a couple, into an insult that could leave you feeling like crap for days.

"Alright, alright," Rose began. "There really isn't anything we can do about the picture right now, so everyone who doesn't live here, just go home for now and let me know by owl if you have any bright ideas. Also, inform Andy about the situation. He's diabolical enough to possibly be able to come up with a useful plan."

"Are you sure, Rosie?" Alice asked. "We can stay."

"No, no," she assured her friends, knowing that they meant to stay for the long-awaited reveal to her parents about Scorpius. "I need to do this on my own. I can't have you lot acting as my crutch."

"Well, alright," Alice replied hesitantly.

After Alice, David and Al said their goodbye's and apparated home, Rose was left alone with Nora, who wore a very puzzled look for some odd reason.

"What's wrong?"

"I have been wondering, for ages, why Zabini refuses to let Scorpius go," she replied. "And something you said about what Zabini told the photographer earlier has me thinking."

"Thinking what?"

"You said that she asked him for money in compensation for giving him the chance to snap a few photos of you and Scorp," Nora explained.

"Yes," Rose replied. "She did."

"But my question is," she began. "Why the hell would someone as rich as Zabini, ever care about getting a little loose change for a few embarrassing photos of you two, when we both know she was more interested in making your lives miserable then getting any cash reward?"

Rose frowned at her friend. "You're right. That doesn't make any sense."

They were both silent for a moment before Nora asked her another question. "How much do you know about the Zabini family?"

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "All I know is that they're one of those old money families, like Scorpius'. And they live on some estate in the middle of nowhere."

"Has Scorpius mentioned going there recently?" Nora asked.

"No. I'm positive he's been avoiding contact with her for close to a year now," she answered.

"Hmm," Nora muttered in contemplation.

"This reminds me of something," Rose said suddenly, recalling the day she had overheard Zabini and Anwar Knight talking in the empty classroom.

"What?"

"About a month ago," Rose explained. "I was alone in an empty classroom when I heard people walking in my direction. I'm not sure why, but I dove under a desk in order to hide myself. At first I didn't know who they were, but I figured out after that it was Zabini talking to Knight as if they had some sort of deal."

Rose saw a spark of interest light itself in her eyes. "What kind of deal?"

"Well since I couldn't see, I can't be sure," Rose replied. "But it sounded like she was exchanging sexual favours for something."  
"What kind of something?" Nora asked again.

"I don't know. But when he handed whatever it was to her, it jangled a bit in whatever it was being held in."

Nora's face broke out into a wide grin before putting her hand into her pocket and pulling out a few sickles and knuts. Cupping her hands around the coins, Nora shook them lightly and audible jangling noise resonated from her clasped hands. "Did it sound something like this?"

"Yes," Rose exclaimed. "It did. Only it sounded like there was more and it might have been in some sort of bag or pouch."

The grin that broke out on Nora's face made Rose lean back in apprehension. "Do you know what this means, Rose?" Nora replied with a slightly maniacal laugh.

"It looks like you're going to tell me," Rose replied nervously.

Nora grinned giddily. "Zabini is flat broke."

Rose was silent for a moment before responding. "Huh?"

"This isn't that hard to understand, Rosie," Nora replied with a snort. "Why would any girl willingly sell herself for money? She's hard-up for cash."

"She could have just gotten a job after school and that would have changed that," Rose replied in confusion.

"Remember, Rose. This is Zabini we are talking about. Her morals are a bit backwards. She's probably never worked a day in her life and I doubt she ever wants to."

"Well, if what you are saying is true," Rose replied thoughtfully. "She only stayed with Scorpius because of his money?"

"Exactly. She's a gold-digging hag."

"But we don't have any proof, aside from what we've happened to overhear," Rose replied.  
Nora lifter her hand to her chin; cupping it as she put on a thoughtful expression. "We know that Scorpius knows where she lives, right?"

"Yes."

Nora grinned down at where she was seated on her bed. "Then, how about I go pay the Zabini residence a visit?"

Rose was silent for a moment as she tried to register what Nora had just said. "Wait, what?"

"I should probably go ask Scorpius where she lives first, though," Nora mused, completely ignoring Rose's question.

"You're going to go over there now?" Rose asked in astonishment.

"Why not?" Nora asked with a wave of her hand. "Shoot. I shouldn't have let Al go home. I don't think I should go alone anywhere, lest the Ministry, who could be watching me, starts to think I'm plotting some sort of evil conspiracy."

"Do not go to Zabini's house, Nora!" Rose practically commanded.

"Fine, fine. But I'm still going to go over to Al's and tell him what we've figured out. We have all winter break to pay Zabini a visit."

"You're going to go now? But what about when my parents get home?" Rose questioned anxiously.

Nora grinned. "What happened to telling your parents without anyone's help?"

"I need at least one person on my side," Rose protested.

"You'll be fine," Nora assured her. "Hugo's here after all."

"He has no idea what's going on," she replied scathingly.

"Then go tell him now," she replied, as she opened the door to Rose's room. "It'll be good practice. Tell your parents I'll be home late."

Before Rose could say anything else, Nora hurried out of her room before Rose heard the audible crack of someone apparating out of the house.

Rose huffed in indignation. "Bollocks."

* * *

"So, how was shopping today, Rosie?" her mother asked.

Rose looked at her mother in surprise from across the dinner table. Shopping? She hadn't gone shopping today.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"How was shopping with Nora?" she asked again. "Did she find something for Albus?"

Shit. She was talking about the excuse Nora had made up, so that she could meet up with Scorpius without her parents becoming suspicious. She had entirely forgotten to come up with a fake story about what she was supposedly doing that day, since she had been so caught up with figuring out how to tell her parents she was dating Scorpius. Something she still hadn't gotten around to telling them since they'd arrived home.

"Oh," she replied. "It was good. Nora was able to find something."

"That's good. I'm glad Nora's been so relaxed with everything that's coming up in the next couple of weeks," her mother replied with relief.

"Have they scheduled a day for that bloody test of hers?" Her father asked.

"From what I've heard, it's not set in stone," her mother replied. "But Sampson told me it's going to be scheduled for the 5th of January, which just happens to be a Friday."

"All he told me was that representatives from several countries are coming to watch and see Nora for themselves," Her father replied angrily.

Representatives from other countries? She hadn't heard about that before. Were people actually coming from around the world to confirm that Nora was actually all that the British Ministry of Magic was bragging about?

Her mother sighed before turning back to look at Rose and her brother, who was seated beside her. "Changing the subject, what did Nora buy for Albus, Rose?" she asked.

Shit. She had forgotten about coming up with a lie for that as well. "Um... I'm not really sure what she got him," she replied.

"How can you not be sure?" Hugo asked his tone patronizing. "You were there with her when she bought the present."

Rose fixed her brother with a murderous look, before turning back to look at her mother. "I wasn't in the store when she got it, I was grabbing some coffee."

"And she didn't tell you afterwards?" Her mother asked in confusion.

Rose knew she was digging herself into a hole that she had no hope of ever getting out of, which meant the only way she was going to save herself was if she told the truth. It was now or never and she did not want to face Nora's wrath when she got home and found out that she hadn't gotten around to telling her parents what was going on.

"She didn't," Rose replied quickly. "Can I talk to you two about something?"

Her parents immediately stopped eating upon hearing her question, both of them now wearing their 'we're serious parents' faces.

"What is it, Rosie?" Her father asked worriedly.

"Did something happen at school?" Her mother said.

"No, no," Rose said with a shake of her head. "Nothing's happened at school. I just need to tell you something about me."

Hugo stared at her with a curious expression on his face, as he slowly chewed a piece of meatloaf. "Did you get a boyfriend or something?" he asked, still chewing.

"Hugh!" she protested

"What?" Her father bellowed.

"Hugh," her mother scolded. "What have I told you about swallowing before you talk? No one wants to see what's inside of your mouth."

"Who gives a bloody damn about our son's manners, 'Mione," her father hissed. "Did you hear what he said?"

"Yes," her mother replied with a sigh. "But your daughter has yet to actually confirm her brother's statement. You and I both know she probably just wants to talk about school."

Her father stared at her mum for a moment; slowly processing what she had said before he let out a sigh of relief. "That's right," he said before turning to look back at Rose with a smile on his face. "So what did you want to say, Rosie?"

Rose just stared at him with an exasperated expression on her face. He truly was convinced she could not have a boyfriend. How horrible was that? For Merlin's sake, even her mother hadn't really believed Hugo. Did they both think it was that impossible for her to get a boyfriend? She'd gone out with Darren last year and they had known about him. So how was it that only her brother could entertain the idea that she was dating someone?

She let her head drop, breaking her gaze with her father. "Oh, what the hell," she said with a tired voice before raising her head to look at both of her parents. "Mum, dad," she replied. "Hugo's right. I have a boyfriend." She exhaled suddenly in relief, a weight lifted off of her shoulder. "Well," she smiled to herself. "I feel better."

Hugo stopped eating upon hearing that he had been correct, while her parents stared at her in surprise; however, her father's face had quickly gone from its usual pale shade to a slight pink colour.

"Really," Hugo said with a laugh. "I was right?"

"Yup," Rose replied as she took a sip of her water. This was dangerous. She wasn't in a good mood right now. Her parents acting as if it were impossible for her to get a boyfriend had turned her mood sour, which meant there was a danger of her blurting out something stupid.

"But who is the lucky bloke anyway," Hugo asked jokingly, nudging her in the side, while still being completely unaware of the situation.

Rose gave her brother a small smile. "Guess."

"Well," Hugo mused. "The only single blokes I ever see you hanging around with are Andy, Malfoy and all the other prefects. I know it's not Andy. The idea of you two together kind of freaks me out."

Rose snorted.

Her mother seemed to think that this was the best point to step into the conversation. "You should bring whoever it is over to dinner sometime over the holiday, Rosie," her mother replied, while shifting her gaze warily in her father's direction. "Your father and I would definitely like to meet him."

Rose stared at her mother for a moment before responding. "I was thinking about inviting over to the Burrow for the Christmas dinner," she replied. "But only if it was alright with you two."

Her father opened his mouth to say something but her mother gave him a sharp look, effectively silencing him. "It's fine with us, dear," she said with a smile.

"You're inviting the bloke over for a Weasley family dinner?" her brother questioned in surprise. "You never even invited White here when you two were together."

"Ya, well," Rose said with a sigh before giving her brother a smile. "I'm in love with this guy."

Rose noticed both of her parents blink in astonishment at her statement before their expressions became unreadable. Now, she had not expected that kind of reaction from them.

"Blimey," Hugo exclaimed. "Now I really want to know who this bloke is. If he can get my sister to say she loves him in front of our dad, he must be bloody brilliant."

"Ya," Rose replied. "I would have to say Scorpius is bloody brilliant."

The room suddenly went deathly silent.

Rose's eyes widened in shock. Shit! She'd been so at ease talking to her brother Scorpius' name had slipped out by accident. Hugo was now staring at her with eyes as round as the plates they were eating off of and Rose was terrified of the looks that were now gracing her parent's faces, especially her father's. But she had no choice but to turn her head and face them properly. In Rose's mind, the two of them resembled what someone looked like when they had been knocked in the side of the head by a beater's bat, which was good because it meant she could say something before either of them started losing it.

"That's right," she replied with a voice that sounded far more confident then she actually felt. "Scorpius Malfoy is my boyfriend and I'm in love with him. And now I want you all to be okay with that."

Her mother was the first one to say anything. "Well," she said giving her father a worried glance. "This is quite surprising and I'm not sure what to say."

Rose blinked. Her mother not being sure what to say happened about as often as a blue moon.

"However," her mother continued slowly. "You aren't a child anymore and can make your own choices. So, if you say you love Scorpius Malfoy, then I will accept that."

Rose knew that her mother's answer meant that she truly had accepted it. However, she also knew that didn't mean she agreed with her just yet.

Rose looked over at Hugo, who only stared at her for a moment before realizing that she wanted him to say something as well. "If you want to date Malfoy," Hugo replied hurriedly. "I'm fine with it. I know you know him better than I do."

She smiled at her brother before turning to look at her father, his expression still unreadable. "Dad?"

"How long?" Her father blurted out suddenly.

"How long, what?" she asked in confusion

"How long have you been in love with him?"

Rose didn't have a definite answer to that question but she knew she needed to give her father the best answer she could think of. "I'm not sure exactly when I started liking him or even when he started liking me. We were lying to ourselves for awhile."  
"And why were you lying?"  
Rose laughed awkwardly at her father's question. "To be honest, I think we both didn't think the idea of fancying each other was possible. We'd been at each other's throats for so long that acting any differently towards each other was hard to imagine. And then when I realized how I felt, I was terrified, so I tried to turn how I felt about him off. As you may have noticed, that didn't really work out."

"Why were you terrified, Rosie?" her mother asked worriedly.

"Well I was worried about what you two would think," Rose confessed.

"Why were you worried about what we would think?" her mother asked in confusion.

"Probably because dad hates Draco Malfoy's guts," Hugo muttered under his breath.

"Hugh," Rose hissed. "Could you please shut it for a little while?"

"Well," her mother replied while clearing her throat. "It is true that we have not reflected the Malfoy family in a very good light over these past few years." Her mother then sent a very sharp glare in her father's direction.

"How is that my fault, 'Mione?" her father whispered harshly. "Malfoy was a right ass to you, Harry and me all through school and yet we still saved that git in the end. And did he ever show us an ounce of appreciation or at least give us a bloody thank you?" He paused before continuing his rant. "No, he didn't."

Her mother sighed in exasperation. "That's beside the point, Ronald. Draco Malfoy's son is not Draco Malfoy. And until we meet him ourselves, we have no right to assume that they are similar in any way."

Her father remained silent for a moment before he responded to her mother's statement. "You're right," he sighed. "As always." Her father then turned his head back in Rose's direction. "Alright, Rosie. We want to meet him. Bring him over for dinner sometime over the holidays, so we can get to know him."

"Can I bring him to Christmas dinner at Grandma's and Grandpa's?"

Her father made a face that reminded Rose of what a person looked like after sucking on too many lemons, before giving her an awkward smile. "Of course," he replied. "I'll have to let your grandparents know to expect another guest."

Rose smiled broadly at her parents. "Okay," she replied in relief, courage to continue telling her parents what was going on spinning around in her head like a whirlwind. "I have something else to tell you."

"What is it?" Her mother replied.

"I didn't go shopping with Nora today," she replied. "I met up with Scorpius instead."

"What?" her father exclaimed.

"Now, Ronald," her mother replied calmly, placing a hand on her father's arm reassuringly. "Let's hear her out." Her mother then gave her an encouraging smile. "Go on, Rose. Why did you meet up with Scorpius today?"

"Thanks, Mum," Rose replied gratefully. "We met up today to talk about when we should tell you two and his parents about the two of us."

"And you decided to do it today," her mother finished.

Rose hesitated slightly before responding. "Yes and no."

Both of her parent's expressions fell in unison.

"You see, we did decide to let both of our parents know about the two of us around this time, but the need to do it by tonight was... hastened by unseen forces that we weren't quite prepared for," Rose explained.

"What kind of unseen forces?" her mother asked, her expression turning dark.

Rose noticed her brother shift uncomfortably beside her and he had every right to feel uneasy. They both knew that, between their two parents, their mother was the one who should be feared the most.

Rose cleared her throat nervously but continued. "While we were discussing when to tell you about us, I may have kissed him and that kiss may have been caught on camera by a photographer who, possibly, plans to sell those photos to either the Daily Prophet or Witch Weekly, which could result in the two of us winding up in the paper, sometime, as early as, tomorrow morning."

Her parents just stared at her in stunned silence, while her brother stared at her with eyes as round as the plates they were eating off of.

"What?" Her family questioned in unison.

* * *

Dinner at Malfoy Manor was, once again, passing in relative silence. Scorpius looked up from his plate to stare at his family members. His mother was eating her dinner with the grace and dignity of a swan, his father was frowning in distaste at something that had probably happened at work as he ate, his grandmother was frowning as well, but most likely just because her frown was permanently attached to her face, and his grandfather, who, as usual, just looked simply displeased with life. And Nora wondered why he didn't talk to his family about how he was feeling on a regular basis.

"How was work today, darling?" His mother asked his father, breaking the silence in the room.

"Oh," his father mumbled in surprise, startled from his thoughts. "Fine. Nothing of importance happened today."

Scorpius knew he would tell his mother the truth later that night when his grandparents weren't around.

His mother smiled gently at his father before turning her head to look at him. "How was your day in London, Scorpius?"

Before Scorpius could respond, his grandmother cut him off. "London? What did he need in Diagon Alley?"

"He didn't go to Diagon Alley, Narcissa," his mother replied in a gentle voice. "He went into muggle London."

His mother's response quickly made his grandfather interested in the conversation.

"Muggle London? What did he need to do there?" His grandfather questioned with displeasure.

"He was meeting with a friend," his mother replied, her voice becoming cool. "Weren't you, Scorpius?"

If there was one thing Scorpius' mother and his grandparents did not agree on, it was how much his mother encouraged him to go into the muggle world and interact with people who could not use magic. His grandparents considered going into muggle London to be the equivalent of walking through the slums. His father, smartly, had long ago decided to be a neutral party in that argument. Malfoy's were excellent at self-preservation.

"Yes," he replied.

His grandmother pursed her lips in displeasure, while his grandfather frowned in discontent, before they both continued to eat their dinner.

"So how was your day, dear?" his mother asked again.

"It was good," he replied. "My friend and I ended up going to one of your favourite restaurants for lunch."

His mother smiled. "That's lovely to hear. But I was surprised that you weren't with, Tatiana. After she came looking for you today, I've been wondering who you were with all day."

"I still don't know why you ended your relationship with Miss. Zabini, Scorpius," his grandmother replied in disappointment. "The two of you made a lovely couple."

Scorpius gave his grandmother a fake smile, knowing full well how fast his grandmother would turn on her if she knew that Tatiana had slept with several different people while they were together. "We just drifted apart," Scorpius lied.

"But who did you meet today, Scorpius?" his mother questioned again.  
Here was his chance to ease his family into the news that he was dating a Weasley as smoothly as possible. Bracing for the storm he was about to unleash, Scorpius decided to answer his mother's question.

"I went to lunch with, Rose Weasley," Scorpius replied clearly.

The silence in the room turned from somewhat comfortable to stifling in less than a second, as all four sets of eyes belonging to his family members turned to look at him in surprise.

"Rose... Weasley?" His mother repeated astonishment.

"As in Ronald and Hermione Weasley's daughter?" his father asked, his face void of expression.

"Yes," Scorpius replied, staring at his father directly. "We're also in a relationship and have been for about a month now."

His father remained silent, while staring at Scorpius as if he had never seen him in his life. His mother stared at him in shock, but, Scorpius noted, that it wasn't a look of alarm she was giving him, but one of shocked excitement. He knew just how much his mother had always wanted him to be his own person, and to get out of the shadow that the Malfoy family name cast upon him, which meant she was already on his side.

His grandfather, however, was the first to make his opinion known.

"Absolutely not," he replied sharply. "A Malfoy will not consort with a Weasley as long as I am still alive."

"That is not your decision to make, Lucius," his mother snapped.

"I beg your pardon," he replied angrily.

His mother straightened in her seat and gave him a sharp look. "You are not his father," his mother shot back. "You have no right to decide what he can or cannot do."

"Astoria, Lucius," his grandmother replied soothingly. "It's clear he's not being serious. He's merrily telling a joke." She turned her attention towards him. "Come now, Scorpius. Enough of your teasing. Who were you with today?"

"I am being perfectly serious, Grandmother," Scorpius replied in a steely voice. "About seeing Rose today and of my feelings towards her. I am in a relationship with her because I love her and that is the honest truth."

His grandmother's reaction to his response reminded him greatly of what someone looked like after they had been slapped.

"This is outrageous," his grandfather hissed furiously. "The boy must have been seduced in some way. Otherwise he would never speak to his own grandmother in such a way."

"Believe me, Grandfather. I've thought far worse things then what I just said," Scorpius replied bitterly.

His grandfather's head whipped around to face him, his expression filled with rage. "If you continue to speak to me in that way, boy, you will regret it."

"Excuse me?" Scorpius' mother exclaimed.

"You heard me, Astoria," his grandfather continued, getting himself into a rage. "This boy has been given far too much freedom and –."

"Father," Scorpius' father exclaimed loudly. "I think we have all heard enough of what you think."

"Draco," his grandfather replied, his voice holding a silent warning. "Your son needs to learn who he is and who he should be associating with, before he leads the family down a road he cannot return from."

Scorpius snorted.

Scorpius' father sent him a warning look, before turning back to face his grandfather. "While I appreciate your opinion father, it is up to Astoria and I who Scorpius is allowed to associate with. Therefore, Scorpius," his father returned his attention back to him. "I would like to meet Miss. Weasley at some point in the near future. I am sure your mother feels the same way."

His mother nodded her head with a broad smile. "I would love to meet, Rose."

"So," his father said, clearing his throat. "Perhaps you could invite Miss. Weasley to dinner here at the house sometime over the holiday?"

Scorpius stared at his father in appreciation. It was not often that his father openly defied his grandparent's wishes but when he did, Scorpius could never help feeling a large amount of respect for him. "I believe I can do that."

"Draco," his grandmother exclaimed, voicing her alarm. "You're inviting the girl here?"

His father sighed. "Where else should I invite the girl, mother?"

His grandmother spluttered, as Scorpius mulled over what had just happened in his head. His father had just given him permission to invite Rose over for dinner. While that didn't mean he approved of her just yet, it did mean he had a chance to convince him why he should accept her as someone he was planning on keeping in his life for awhile. However, he still needed to tell his parents about what had happened earlier that day, which was not going to be a pleasant task.

"Well, if you plan to bring that girl into this house Draco, Narcissa and I refuse to meet her," his grandfather snapped.

His father merrily gave him an exasperated look. "Your feelings have been heard, father."

Judging by the look on his grandfather's face, that had not been the reaction he was looking for.

His father's turned his head to look at Scorpius. "Is there anything else you would like to tell us, son?"

He wasn't sure if his father had predicted if he had something else to say or he was just being polite, but Scorpius decided it was best to steer this conversation to a matter which he unfortunately could not ignore.

"There is one other thing," he replied hesitantly.

"What is it, dear?" His mother asked.

"Something happened today that may be bit of a pain later on," Scorpius replied.

His father's expression instantly turned stony. "Pain? What kind of pain? A pain that I could take care of with just an owl to the Ministry or a pain that will give me a headache for weeks?"

Scorpius gave his father an awkward smile. "The latter."

His father groaned and rubbed his temple wearily. "What happened?"

Scorpius took a deep breath before continuing. "Today, during lunch, a photographer managed to snap a photo of Rose and I together and there is a chance that picture may make its way to the Daily Prophet."

The stifling silence returned to the room and Scorpius fidgeted in his seat, bracing for the oncoming storm.

"What?" His grandfather and father exclaimed.

* * *

A/N- Helloooo all. I have no idea how I managed to finish this chapter at this point during the school year, since I'm currently a step away from death's door due to stress from essay writing, but it is here! Rose and Scorpius have come clean to their families about each other, Rose and Nora have theories on what Zabini has been up to and Nora is planning on bringing the hag down. Over all an eventful chapter. I will try to have the next chapter out before the new year but I give no promises. With exams coming up and then Christmas and my birthday right after (Turning 20, gotta love it), I may not have the time. Please read and review as always. Cheerio!


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